Don't You Worry Love
by InvaderMads45321
Summary: 2D is imprisoned at Plastic Beach and sanity is slowly creeping away when memories of Noodle being alive, haunt him. With the concept of Russel missing, Noodle dead and a cyborg as replacement, Stuart is left to reside in loneliness. But what happens when death is cheated, and newcomers return? Don't know if this will be a nice welcome party, especially for a mind-corrupted 2D...
1. Chapter 1

Green and white-colored capsules clanking in an orange bottle and the dull sound of cranking metal is all Stuart Pot hears anymore besides the rasping of his own breath in this small, compact bedroom.

There are no windows here except for one, but it does not filter through warm light; rather, it reveals a murky grey-green liquid that poses as the ocean. It hides rubbish and the occasional dead fish that floats on by. He does not find this place in any shape or form, comforting, nor will his persistent headache ever reside, so he is left here in this underwater room to sit, squeamish and frightened of the window that sits above his bed which reveals the beastly shape of a whale's eye, pinpointing 2D's location and haunts the grown man constantly. This is a guard set up from Murdoc, to keep watch on the vocalist and to stay sure he will not escape the imprisonment on the island.

_I don't know what I need watching for. I've got nowhere to go, nobody to keep me company, and absolutely no idea of my current whereabouts other than the fact that I'm sealed up on this rotting landmass called "Plastic Beach" in the middle of nowhere._

The blood pounding in 2D's ears worsened and he unscrewed the tiny bottle in his hands, popping several of the pills into his mouth, not caring to count how many painkillers he already had today.

_Doesn't matter-the pain won't go away until I sleep and forget everything anyway._

Screwing the cap back on, 2D was left to his silent thoughts again and began to think about Noodle and Russel.

"Did it hurt, Noodle…? Is dying what ev'ryone finks ih is? Is ih hor'fying, or is ih like fallin' asleep?"

He reeled his thoughts back before he choked out a whimper. His throat had collapsed in on itself and it felt like a steel needle had pricked at his heart. He sucked in another breath before whimpering quietly, "Where'd ya go, Russ…? 'Thought you were s'posed to take care o' 'er…"

A loud moan came from the window and echoed through the water outside. Stuart glanced behind him and caught sight of the window, the curtains drawn back and revealing the filthy shade of grey. He whipped his head back around, his black eyes wide with fear and instinctively crawled away, clinging to the soft draperies. He fumbled and tugged at them, but it was too late. A large black eye moved into the center of the glass and glared at mortified man.

Squealing with fear, he tugged harder at the shades and once the window was successfully hidden, he was left to himself, shuddering and holding his legs to his chest, fearful of the giant creature.

He stayed that way, curled in the fetal position on his bed for the next twenty minutes, wishing the beast away and to forget the presence that patrolled the waters outside his room. That massive beast lurked outside and never left, but 2D wished the damn thing did. He figured it was soulless and plotted to kill the poor guy.

Struggling with his thoughts on his bed, he picked his head up and thumped it on his pillow repeatedly.

_All I want is the people I love to come back and be safe. The band is what kept all of us together and sane, not torn apart and halfway loaded on a god-forsaken island made up of garbage and foul-smelling paint. I know Murdoc only wants to stay here so he can keep me imprisoned to continue the band away from the danger that Noodle had faced, but what's Gorillaz without Russ and Noods?_

_Blimey, that stupid robot that Murdoc created before he took me here is nothing and never will be like Noodle. She was her own self, not a death-trap electrical socket with ammunition and weapons hidden down her throat. She was an amazing guitarist, not to mention beautiful and a one-of-a-kind gal who came to us in a Fed-Ex box when she was ten. Ever since she was shipped from Japan, we were all she had. And when she grew older, she escaped on our Windmill Island, away from Feel Good Inc.; she was free._

But what's freedom when you're prosecuted for it?

_Freedom isn't free…Freedom is a lie, and living in London was only temporary due to the fact that I was gassed and shipped to this island all thanks to Murdoc. So what's "freedom" to any of us anymore?_

_A satanic bass player, my mate, Murdoc Niccals and a sperm whale paid to keep watch over me at all times, but I believe Muds only did it to scare me- that's all I got! Cruel isn't it?_

Being on the mass of rubbish for weeks has left its toll on the young man and he's grown to accept the loneliness. A grumpy old Murdoc and an assortment of gory zombie movies were all he had besides the guard outside his window. _Don't think about the whale...!_

Grumbling out a curse, Stuart pushed his body up and pressed his free hand to his temple before willing his body to stand and within seconds, he was on two feet and walking amid the dirty mess of his room.

Piles of clothes, a keyboard, multiple cardboard boxes, and - ,"oh shit!"- an electric cable for the lava lamp beside his bed that he'd just tripped over, were strewn randomly around the room. Posters of all sorts were taped to the walls and large collectibles from an assortment of different countries huddled in the dark corners of the room.

"Freedum? Wos tha'? I ain' got freedum… Not anymo'…"

The tall, lanky man shuffled his feet to his dresser which had unread novels, sheet music he'd written with Murdoc, cable extensions and a small package of butterscotch candy that was halfway dumped onto the flat surface of the furniture. Sitting at the edge, closest to the blue-haired 2D, was a package of cigarettes almost empty. He took this and clutched it numbly, ignoring the candy and the other junk that piled around his bedroom.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Stuart felt his pockets for his lighter and punched the button on the wall besides him. A sharp metal squeaking followed with a pool of light that entered the room, opened up the door to the elevator. 2D stepped inside and let it take him to the surface, where he then lazily trudged out and past the ignorant pelican and seagull that sat, unbothered by the man, on the steel railing of the stairs.

He made his way down to where the grimy water lapped at the eroded pink plastic, pulled out one of the last cigarettes and lit it before he sat beneath one of the palm trees that loomed over the small peninsula that jutted out of the island.

2D leaned his head back against the bark of the tree, which provided ample shade from the strikingly hot sun sweltering above. Being stoned from the overdose of pills, it was hard keeping focus without his vision blurring at the sides or completely closing in and pulling you down into a comatose. So Stuart lounged back against the tree and continued his thoughts on freedom and the band members that were long gone.

Once his cigarette was finished, he put it out and began to be lulled asleep to the sound of the waves until he heard a loud roar of water crashing against the ocean farther out. He peeked his dark, hollow eyes open, taking his view to the strange sound and found a blurry structure of a massive brown head on the horizon, almost like an imagined lump several miles out to sea.

Perhaps it was a tourist ship. Perhaps it was a rescuer. Or maybe it was a mirage or just the drugs kicking in with an extra side effect of illusions.

Shrugging it off, his nap pursued and soon, 2D was dragged down into the dark waves of unconsciousness.

* * *

Author's Note:

This is my first Gorillaz fanfic. I'm nervous about all of this and how it'll play out, but I honestly hope you guys liked it. I know…It's a slow start…

I don't like lemony stories. But I add fluff in some places. So be prepared. It's a noodlex2D story…

I don't' own Gorillaz.


	2. Chapter 2

_At times, I wonder why dreams tag along with me in my sleep. They do nothing except make me long for a happiness that I've lost, or burden me with frightening images- but when I'm in a drugged stupor, I'm left, dazed and scared of every little thing. Even if it were a heavenly visit from my friend Noodle or Russ, I'd still cringe from the harsh voice that knocked on the back of my skull. They aren't real you idiot. But you love them. They aren't real, but they're here. They aren't real dumb arse. _

_And this would go on… through the seemingly never-ending comatose. I'd welcome them with friendly arms and each time Noodle would show up, I'd find new ways to greet her. _

_As if she'd been here all along. As if she'd died but came back. As if she meant the absolute world to me, or just a friend that I hadn't seen in a long time. As if she'd go away again forever. Each time I'd be swooped into sleep, I'd be frightened either to wake up, or to fall asleep and dream of gazing into the barrel of a gun or a helicopter following the untouched Windmill Island which occupied the presence of Noodle._

_I really hate sleeping…_

A soft, feathery hand touched Stuart's head, gingerly pushing away the blue tufts of hair that stuck out beneath his beach hat. The man, unsurprised, took his gaze upward to see a happy Noodle staring back at him from a bed that was bolted above him. Her eyes looked like shining, scarlet rubies that glinted with tears in her eyes. Every other color on her body was in a grayscale as well as the surroundings in this small, bedroom he recognized, was in the Kong Studios building. He did not inspect these things with detail, afraid that if he left the young woman's gaze, she'd fade and disappear.

"Toochie," she spoke. Her eyes grew soft and a tear landed on 2D's forearm. "I miss you, Toochie…"

Her bangs shadowed her face for the most part, but he didn't lose sight of her eyes, for they continued to pool more tears and fall down her face. But this didn't keep her from smiling down at him.

_Noodle…_

2D opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out or were formed. Only a sigh sounded out when he gave up on his vocals. Agitated at the loss of his voice, he tried pulling his arms up to touch her pale gray face, but his muscles worked against him and stayed put. He was glued in his sitting position on his bunk, with no voice or way of responding to the girl that appeared above him.

Frowning, he furrowed his eyebrows together and continued to stare, dumbfounded, confused, and scared.

"Forgive me, Stuart," her voice had hiccupped and halted before she proceeded with his name in a monotone voice. Her body shuddered and a blue, electric static engulfed her, zapping her appearance into a uniformed one with a leather cap, unblinking eyes and a gunshot through her top-left part of her head.

"Target locked-on. Priority: annihilate prerogative Stuart Pot. Sequence initiated; fire in 5. 4. 3…"

2D struggled in his place when he gaped at the girl. Her jaws parted at an abnormal width, and her throat extended a large shotgun which protruded from her mouth and aimed at 2D.

He looked down, listening to the robotic drone of her voice as she counted and he fought with all his willpower to move and flee the room but his body failed to cooperate and he was left to sit there, gnashing his teeth together and tears flowing down the sides of his dented face.

"2…1…"

* * *

An impossibly loud ringing sound blared through his ears and he flinched awake. His head felt like it sunk in from all the pressure that built up from his headache and he could not hear a thing except for the endless ringing as his eyes flipped open and stared at the bright, fuzzy spots in his field of vision. The thumping in his head made him curl inwards to himself and hug his boney ribcage.

A few minutes later, he began to hear a faint screaming and realized that was coming from his own, torn up throat. He coughed and regretted this as another wave of pain flooded in his ears, into his jaws and behind the sockets of his eyes. Shuddering, he pried his eyes open again to see colors morph into objects. And the objects morphed into a room in which he awoke in and almost every night he fell into the sleepless stupors.

Focusing on his heart beat, he tried to level out his breathing and a dry sheen of sweat began to build up beneath the bangs on his head. An angry-sounding growl from his stomach made him cringe again and he rubbed his eyes, willing to rid himself of the dream and his unclear sights around him.

A light bundle jumped on top of 2D, knocking out his breath and surprising the man, and he groaned before looking over to the mass that sat on his stomach.

It was a human, he was sure of that, but by the sound of the accent of her voice, he wasn't surprised to find a young Noodle screaming out Japanese words that he could only wish to understand. He frowned again, staring at the thin girl before he looked to his window that sat above his bed, unhappy to see them drawn back yet again and revealing not that of a whale, but that of a gas mask with bright red eyes and a long, spindly nose.

His head turned back to Noodle and back to the man that swam outside who began to vigorously bang at the glass on his window. His eyebrows furrowed again and he remembered where he'd seen this thing before- it was stroking the manatee on Melancholy Hill… the day he was taken to Plastic Beach rather than stolen and kidnapped.

He finally looked back to Noodle, who was no longer sitting on his stomach but hiding from the window like 2D himself did when the whale passed by.

A loud metal screeching sounded through the water and the gas-masked man was gone.

Moments later, after Noodle began to whine and scream, the side of 2D's room was caved in through the side and busted through with the remnants of a helicopter and a windmill. Water flooded into the room and both of the band members were caught in a swirling mass of toxic water and waste, accompanied by the moan of a whale and the two red orbs of the gas mask that glowed in the dark depths.

He could not see where he was going or which direction was up, and when another loud moan of the whale sounded closer, 2D began to panic. Noodle was nowhere to be seen and his own chances of survival were slim since he was several stories under water with no air, light or hope to survive on. And soon, he began to sink.

_Will ih' hurt, Noodle?_

His lungs screamed for air but were slowly filling with the mucky water and farther and farther, he began to sink. _Noodle…?_

* * *

A strange sensation of falling woke him again, pulling his mind out of his dream again and he sat-upright; his eyes stinging and brain foggy. He shuddered and fell off his bed, crawled to his rubbish bin and heaved.

_How'd I get back in my room? What's goin' on? Calm down…Jus' a dream…_

He heaved once more into the bin and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. All he could do was stare- frightened of every sound and thing that sat in his room, worried for another dream to unleash it's horror upon his head and drive him mental. A dream within a dream was NOT what he needed and it was definitely one of the last things he wanted on his mind since all he could think about was the headache that never went away and how he missed his past and hated looking forward to his miserable future, stuck on an island with Murdoc and a whale…_STOP THINKING ABOUT THE DAMN WHALE ALREADY!_

_I'm tired of these… dreams in dreams in dreams in dreams… it's all rubbish to me and I'm tired of dreaming of her… What else can I do on a lost island other than sleep, smoke and watch reruns on zombie movies? Books can be fun, but they'll end up like the movies… I'll read them again. And again. And again until Murdoc decides he's had enough of the island, but that's going to be a while since people are hunting down our location and want to exterminate us…_

_Christ… I've got nobody who cares for me anymore and anyone who wants anything to do with us wants us killed… That's up-lifting…_

The abnormally thin man crawled over to his bed again, dragging the rubbish bin with him in preparation for another case of vomiting his organs out. Instead of getting on the cheap mattress, Stuart curled against the foot of his bed, hiding himself from the elevator and window; the most isolated spot in his room.

A squeaking sound pierced his ears making him flinch and he recognized the sound of the elevator coming down it's shaft. 2D huddled farther into the darkness, hearing voices and he begged them to go away…

"Not anotha' dream… Please no... Not anotha'…," he whimpered, twiddling his fingers and pulling his knees up to his chest in a defensive seating position.

The unmistakable sound of the doors squeaking open and footsteps made him panic, and he wished his body to mold into the wall and under his bed so as to not be found.

"No mo' dreams…" he whispered faintly to himself.

* * *

Author's Note:

I've got to get back into the writing habit. I'm working on it though.

And if I'm not nailing the character's voices exactly the way you want it, I'm working on it…

I'm American. I'm trying my hardest to fit their language and speaking ways into the story, but give me a little slack on that… I'm learning as I'm writing.

Bloody Hell. I'm rambling… Please review. I'm desperate for those. Tell me how you think; how should I fix some issues? How should I make it better?

Well, I don't own Gorillaz.

Remember guys… it's a Noodlex2D fanfic…


	3. Chapter 3

Hiding in the darkness of his room, Stuart Pot curled into a ball and turned into the cornered section of his bed, burying his face into his knees while his skeletal forearms tightly covered his ears in desperate attempt to drown out the soft, questioning voices. He snapped his eyes shut as his gangly hands tugged at the roots of his hair and he repeatedly hummed to himself a tune of his own.

_No more dreams… I'm tired of hurting. No more dreams. I'm tired of you. I'm tired of being stuck here. It's going to be okay if I don't give in. It's going to be okay if I don't peek. I'll be okay- No more dreams- No more…_

Hot tears escaped from the corners of his eyes and he crammed himself farther into his dark, cornered area, willing some sort of escape.

He could feel a presence standing beside him, but this didn't keep him from humming to himself or keep him from continuing the waterfall down his busted cheekbones. He didn't care…this was probably just another apparition or figure of the mind ready to crush any ounce of hope he dared give his heart.

But in seconds, he felt a hand brush his shoulder, making him curl even tighter and pop his back. "Go…," 2D croaked. The rubbing on his back stopped and he shuddered before he repeated, "I said, 'go'…I dun care who or whot you are… I'm fucking tired o' this…"

A coaxing voice sounded through his hands and made its way, halfway muted, into Stuart's reluctant ears, "Toochie…? What's happened to you? Why are you hiding?"

"GO AWAY…," he sobbed. At this point, 2D had let go of his hair, leaving his sore tufts of hair alone, and had begun to let his heart pour down his face and drip off his chin. His face was still pointed toward the dark shadows and he refused to look in the direction of Noodle's voice.

_My head… hurts so much…Wake up… Wake up dammit. Wake up. Wake up. Wake, ow… She's not real… Nothing is real anymore…_

"Murdoc… he's not responding. What the hell has happened since I've been gone?!"

The grouchy voice of his mate, Murdoc, replied in a nonchalant tone, "don't know. He's confessed to having weird dreams, but hasn't told me what about. He's just been wandering the beaches aimlessly like an abused litt'ol puppy. Don't know what the hell his problem is…"

The grown man coughed and their voices quipped back and forth, but 2D didn't seem to notice, for he kept crying to himself and that was all that was needed to drown out their jabbering.

_Soon some sort of catastrophic event is going to take place. My television will catch fire. The whale will slam into my room drowning us all. The damn cyborg will malfunction and attack me and everyone else. Radioactive sharks will grow legs and eat us alive. Just ignore it and it won't happen. Ignore the voices. Ignore the dream. Ignore it. Ignore her… Ignore her hand on your back. It's not real and won't ever be…_

It was then that 2D began to softly toss his head against the wall. His hopes of being knocked awake were rejected and he threw his head back, laughing at his pathetic attempts to get out of his comatose. Tired of resisting, he dropped his arms onto the floor with his palms facing up and his head resting on the wall. "I'm done. I've tried. I've done everyfing. Biting myself won't help. Painkillahs won't help. Crying won't help. Screaming won't help. I'm stuck in a dream and once these drugs wear off and I wake, you'll be gone, Murdoc will be in 'is room and I'll be left 'ere wif nobody. Nobody is all I got! You're not REAL! I'M NOT REAL! MURDOC ISN'T REAL! NONE OF THIS IS REAL," he sobbed out, taking his puffy, black eyes to his visitor.

Unsurprised, he looked her up and down with a broken face and silently took her in.

The newly defined Noodle he stared at was crouched at his height and looked slightly different than when he last dreamt of her. Of course, in the real world, it had been around five years since she died, so within that time, his mind must've adapted to the time frame and added realistic changes. Her body had filled in with a woman's hourglass figure and she was fitted in a small, white dress that was dirty and torn in some places. It was lined with red ribbon at the neck, bottom and sleeveless shoulders, and her legs were contained in thigh-high black and white stockings. She lacked shoes, and her forearms were hidden inside simple white gloves. With her other hand that wasn't occupied on 2D's back, she held up a mask and was looking at the disbelieving man with sparkling green eyes.

Her skin looked yellow, green and purple in some places from the numerous bruises that dotted her skin and on the left side of her face was the biggest bruise he'd seen on her body yet, with black and purple surrounding a thin scab that crawled down the side of her jaw. But other than that, her face was thin, defined and clear of damage.

The woman looked the shaking man up and down tugged off a glove, grunting as she did it, revealing more bruises that lined her thin arms. She reached out, but 2D simply flinched and raised his hands defensively. "Don-… don't touch me…"

2D tore his eyes from the woman and glared at the railings on his bed, sucking in painful breaths and shuddering, coughing away the urge to sob even harder.

_I'm surprised Murdoc hasn't declared me a "pathetic little pansy" and hasn't run off somewhere else yet… it's just the kind of thing he'd do anyway… Yep. This is definitely a dream._

Casting his eyes downward, he let his peripherals keep watch on the woman who swiftly got back on her feet, slipped her glove back on and strode over to where Murdoc's voice had sounded earlier. Seconds later, he heard something shift on the other side of his room and a few things were knocked off his dresser. Murdoc growled and as soon as his voice was muted, he could hear Noodle's angry whispering.

"What in the bloody hell has happened here? This place is a wreck and the remaining of your band has gone mental! Stuart has obviously been abused in some way, and I'm not talking about PHYSICAL! He's rejecting all forms of contact and refuses to even speak in my direction! I've been gone and this is what I come back to find? A broken man who's probably had mental trauma from drug overdoses, a rotten mass of shit as a home to live in, and nobody else but you to talk to? I haven't seen either of you for years and I come to find you trapped behind a bookself and 2D driven mad! Iesu...(translated: Jesus)"

2D peeked around the side of the bed to find Murdoc pressed against a wall with Noodle's hand covering his mouth and a dangerous look plastered on her face. Her other hand was gestured in 2D's direction and when her speech was over, she let go of the green-skinned man and let her back hunch in posture. She rubbed her neck, looked over to the elevator and grumbled out a few curses that 2D couldn't quite catch.

He swiveled his body back around and he was glad to see that he'd stopped crying, but was trying hard to catch his breath in tiny, uneven breaths.

No sounds were made from Murdoc that he could hear, and several agonizingly slow minutes ticked by until Noodle's clear voice rang out in finality, "I'm going to fill Russ in on this… I think he's still in the band… I am too… but I can't speak for 2D here… I'll- uhm… I'll come back to check up on him in a few minutes..."

Two pairs of footsteps sounded, metallic scraping, and the room was left in silence once more.

Finally, now that he was left to himself, 2D took the bucket that smelled of vomit only four feet away from him, and heaved for the third time that afternoon.

* * *

Author's Note:

Is this real? Is this it? Why was Murdoc so silent? Why did Stuart refuse contact with Noodle this time? What will happen?

You'll find out.

Gorillaz does not belong to me.

Review please. I need those things. They help and the encouragement and criticism helps like you couldn't imagine… Thanks guys.


	4. Chapter 4

_Why can't I wake up already? Why won't my body react enough to wake up, dammit?! I don't remember taking THAT many pills! Maybe I'm dead! Maybe I really am dead, and Noodle was really there! We're all dead and we think we're still alive! That must be it… Must be…_

The restless 2D rubbed his eyes and he looked over to the alarm clock that sat beneath his purple and crimson lava lamp. The faded time flashed 4:49 PM, stating that evening was soon to pass by. It had been almost two hours since the last sight of his visitor, but he was sure he was becoming delusional, mumbling out distressed thoughts like, "I'm in Hell," or, "I need to lay off on the meds," and the occasional plea, "wake up, dammit," while he continued to slap his face, bite his arm, and pinch any skin that wasn't already raw from his useless attempts to realize what was going on.

A loud rumble in his stomach sounded and he averted his eyes from the elevator. "Nope… Not gonna let somfink like this keep pullin' me undah. I'll just ignore ih' until-."

The metallic scraping sound he knew all too well and the blinking above the elevator showed that someone was coming down the shaft. Whether it was to take the passenger to the boiling room or it was to greet him with open doors, it didn't matter; 2D just cringed at the sound all the same. What was it this time? Another Noodle going to comfort him with loving arms, a child-like version of herself with an innocence and questioning face, or some monstrous welcome party from a stranger or unexpected executioner with familiar, glowing red eyes? He didn't want to know, nor would he like to be thrown through another series of nightmares with pseudo faces and murderous plans for his next likely dream.

Widening his eyes, 2D crawled on all fours, off of his bed sheets and down to the crook that hid his body away from the iron doors and the curtains that hid the submarine-styled window up beside his bed. He tucked his feet as close to his body as he could, bracing himself for the long-awaited newcomer.

The doors opened, and a single pair of feet shuffled into his room slowly, with the addition of a light clanking sound and a sigh that moved over to his bedside table. A light humming and the sound of liquid filling a cup was all 2D could manage to hear and he slowly crept to the edge of his twin bed. Peeking around, he grit his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows as he, once again, caught sight of Noodle, bending over a tray which held china tea cups, a dark green pot and something else that 2D couldn't figure because it was too high for his eye-level and his visitor picked up the tray and began to turn to where he was huddled.

Stumbling over his unresponsive arms and boney legs, he managed to curl back into his corner, but it wasn't fast enough to hide his face, for he was confronted with the young woman, who sat the tea down onto the floor beside them, and joined him a few cautious feet away.

Ignoring the urge to completely turn his body toward the wall, he let his eyes wander curiously to the woman who sat, cross-legged and her faced turned downcast, away from his eyes. Her clothes were changed into clothing that was a bit too snug for her now, fully grown body, but they were her clothes she used to wear several years ago. Fitting her top was a white t-shirt with a basketball icon in the top center, and her pants were black sweats that fit her hips perfectly. Her mask was gone, along with her gloves and striped stockings. Her arms flaunted off all the cuts and bruises he'd seen before and the damage on her face was patched up with gauze and a band aid.

She was fumbling with her hands and wrists as if she were hesitant to talk, and this was startling 2D, because normally, her presence was flamboyant and more excited when it came to welcoming Stuart in his defenseless dream-state.

"It's um… It's really me…Stuart…," she whispered. Her face was still bent downcast, but her eyes flashed up to him momentarily. She cleared her throat and they were left in quiet stillness before she continued in a slow, cautious tone, "Toochie, I brought you some tea… All there was to offer was English tea, so I got it from the brewer in the boiler room… and I didn't know if you were hungry, so I added some crackers as well... I ah…"

2D just stared at her with wide, terrified eyes. He almost didn't catch the last part, he was so caught up in the thought that he was still in a dream and that she was all in his head. He figured nobody was in his room, nobody was talking to him, nobody made him tea and his mind was playing the millionth evil trick he had to endure for the past several years. That, or he was obviously dead. So why should he hesitate to play along? He was already put through torment. What was worse than dying over and over again from a broken heart or a lost soul? What was worse than being confronted by a dead, secret lover and some tea? What could go wrong?

2D shifted and relaxed his shoulders and the tight frown on his face. Letting out a long, exhausted breath, the frightened man straightened his back and leaned against the wall behind him, giving into her voice and letting it swirl inside his head.

"The last time I remembered, you didn't like cream or sugar in your tea, so I didn't bring any; I hope that's okay," she added. She could see him unfolding his body slowly, and the tension melted in an incredibly slow manner, so slow in fact, that Noodle was able to get a decent image of his face and upper torso.

Messy, but clean hair was pointing out in all directions on his head and his large, fractured eyes hid within the dents in his head- no different than when she last saw him. But his skin had faded into a yellow-ish and grey shade, almost as if he'd been sick. Lining his broken cheekbones were small bruises of his own and red, raw strips lined his hairline from what seemed to be nail scratches. Small fuzz, the beginning of a mustache, grew at the sides of his mouth and his neck was thinner than ever, which matched his long, skeletal arms and boney legs.

_What is she lookin' at? I've nothing on me to worry about. Stop looking at me as if I'm a loon! _

With eyes halfway opened, he lifted an eyebrow to a questioning Noodle, and the man began to feel an odd sense of insecurity. He shifted uncomfortably before nodding to her comment on the tea and forcibly lifted the sides of his mouth to fake a smile, but immediately let it drop when he noticed Noodle passing him a white tea cup.

He accepted the drink with an outstretched arm, and willed with all his strength to not flinch as she brushed her fingertips with his own.

Visual sight of the woman was enough to drive the man mad. But physical contact with her was enough to make him recoil and lose the ability to speak. This time, he successfully retrieved the cup and brought it to his lips, sipping and giving himself something else to look at other than the fidgety woman sitting before him.

The broken man stared numbly at his tea before opening his mouth, "am I dead, Noods…?"

His voice caught on her name and he managed to cough it out and he wrinkled his forehead before taking his view to the woman. "I mean, is this ih'? You're dead. Someone or sumfing must've found the island… so someone must've killed me in mah sleep or sumfing… Otherwise you'd be a dream. Or mah mind playin' tricks on me again…," he mumbled to his cup. "Too many painkillahs, I fink."

Noodle sat speechless until she stated clearly, "too many pain-…? 2D talk to me… I'm alive. Look at me, I'm living and breathing like you are. Look at me, Toochie!"

Obediently, the man dragged his empty eyes up to her face where he watched her. Her face, pretty as it was, grimaced before she continued, "I'm here. Whatever story you heard of me dying was a lie. I've had a hard time too, but I'm here now! I'm right here Toochie… this is the girl you saw then, and it's still the same girl you see now. Nobody is dead 2D- Murdoc was simply an idiot and got trapped behind a bookcase, Russ had no idea of where this place was, and I was somewhere out at sea- a refugee stuck in a life raft, running from whatever the hell was trying to hunt me down and slaughter me. I'm HERE!"

Her wide green eyes searched 2D's face desperately, ignoring her tea and reaching her hand out to him once again.

_What…-?_

Before he knew what was going on, a hand touched his face and he sucked in a breath. Her hand was icy to the touch, but warmth meshed with her skin and she dragged her fingers across his cheek until she cupped the side of his face. "Anata wa daijōbudarou"(translated: you'll be okay). She brought her other hand to his face, wiping away the hair that hid his eyes and did cupped his other cheek. "We're alive, Toochie… This is no dream. You're awake and I am home now…"

2D simply sat there,

She touched her forehead to his in a comforting gesture before crying softly, "we're home, Toochie…"

* * *

Author's Note:

I don't own Gorillaz.

And just so you guys know, I originated this title from a song called "Don't You Worry Love" by the music artist known as "Warmer". You should check it out!

I didn't want fluff. Not yet. But it's enough to make you happy to realize it's real. It's happening… But we still have to see how 2D will continue to react to this… Just because his long-lost friend is back from the "grave" doesn't mean his dreams won't continue to haunt him… Let's see how this plays out. I'll probably update this chapter in case it has any flaws that I didn't catch.

I hope you enjoyed! Review. I'm loving those reviews. They make me help out like you wouldn't imagine...


	5. Chapter 5

_All of this sentimental crying is only adding more pressure into my head and I don't think I can take much more of it…I'm surprised it hasn't blown completely off yet…_

_This is the longest dream I've ever settled in for…in fact…it doesn't seem like one much at all since nothing has gone completely off its axis. But how'd Noodle survive? How did she manage to find me? How can I be sure she isn't lying and we all aren't dead? Bloody Hell… what happened to my meds?!_

2D's head was clearing out more from the tea and caffeine. He could get a clearer view of the woman that leaned on his head and he could hear her mumbling out nonsense about boogiemen and fire. Her hair slipped from her shoulders and he could see that it grew a few inches since she'd last been seen. The layers she had when she was sixteen had grown down below her collarbone and the fringe that covered her eyes was fixed into a side-swooped fashion. In fact, he noticed her hair was damp, and much cleaner than the oily mess that he'd seen when she visited him for the first time.

She probably used the luxury of Murdoc's bathroom within the time that she was gone and took the chance to update Russ of the whole issue_. _

_Russ…?Where was he and if he really was there, why didn't he greet me when Noodle came down with Murdoc hours earlier? This is confusing…_

"Okay, _Noodle,_" Stuart hissed, " s'plain yourself! Ih' you really AH' real, how'd yew come to survive the crash? Why should I believe yew and not Murdoc? He's all I had for the past few years and yew suddenly arrive out o' the blue, as if nuthin' happened ah' all!"

"I wish Murdoc would pour water on me already or scream in my ear like 'e always does… Just so I don't have to start hoping that yew'd come back again. I don't want to hope for your beu'iful face to come back in my life just to leave me to my nightmares… I can't do 'is…I can't…"

2D gently pushed the woman away and he put his tea back on the tray until he pushed his body up, stood above the indigo-haired girl and started for the other side of his bed, where he last tossed the container of pills for his relentless migraine. He grasped the small container and shook several capsules into his hand before downing them and crawling onto his bed, empty and defeated.

"I parachuted off, y'know…," a soft voice spoke behind the curled up 2D. His eyes only stared blankly into the dull colored wall in front of him, watching the curtains sway besides his dark crimson comforter and refusing to respond.

"But that's not to say it wasn't a harsh landing with rocks and whatnot…I was knocked unconscious and all I remember is waking on some beach near Sheerness and Queenborough," Noodle laughed and continued, "all I'd been doing was tracking what was left of the band down and hopped from ship to ship, all of which were hijacked and bombed from the same monster that attempted my death the first time on Windmill Island five years ago…"

"It's not assuring knowing you have someone or something on your heels with weapons in their arms and murder in their hearts… and nobody to fight for other than yourself…"

2D suppressed a scoff and looked down at his own hands, examining the knuckles that made the skin on his hands turn white.

_Yew had the ability to run… Yew had the chance to survive… I wos kidnapped despite my thoughts on never joining the band again, but Murdoc arranged that my dreams be stuck wif 'em. A bass player and a vocalist who knew how to play melodica and keyboard wasn't enuff' to suffice for a band- at least yew had the chance to choose…And if 'is is real, I'm glad yew chose to find me…_

"Oh, Toochie… I'm sorry you were kidnapped and I'm sorry you were taken against your will… but you're right. I did come back for you…I came back and I'm staying…," Noodle got up and sat down on his bed beside the man, rubbing his shoulder and hugging him from behind.

_SHIT! I said that out loud?! Don't touch me! Aughh…I missed you Noods… I'll miss you when I wake up without you here, too…_

2D's vision began to sway again and his head began to pound. Angry tears escaped his eyes and he flipped over to face his company before he was completely lost in his dreams again. "Don't leave me, Love… not again…," he fumbled with his hands, took her arm and snaked his hand to her's, intertwining his fingers with hers and didn't let go, not even if the whale or something else were to crash into the room again. He wouldn't care. He had her in his grasp and wouldn't let go until his "dream" subsided and was brought into what he thought was reality.

"Stuart…?" Noodle's voice dragged in a low tone. 2D fought to keep his head above consciousness and he could hear muted expletives and something touching his face, but it was too late. Fog entered 2D's brain and dragged him into a dark and silent comatose.

* * *

(Noodle's POV)

Noodle had only just gotten in 2D's room minutes ago and she tried explaining herself, but ended up with 2D on his bed in tears again and in a drugged stupor. She didn't know how many pills he took of what, but she knew for a fact that when she saw his eyes, they lost focus and grew cross before his head fell limp on his pillow and the tears that streamed down his face smeared on her own palms.

She fidgeted with his eyelids, tapped his forehead and lightly slapped his cheeks, but got no response out of the drugged man that lay, curled into Noodle's hip and cuddling on her forearm.

Minutes passed like that, with Stuarts large, gangly hands holding her pale, fragile one.

_Kirisuto! (Christ!) Toochie is a mess! He hasn't changed much except for the fact that he's grown a few inches and has quite possibly gotten thinner than before. With all the bruises and scratches, I'm worried about what he's been doing to himself for all these years. Malnutrition, isolation, depression and constant nightmares? He believes he's dead or is still in a dream! _

_What the hell am I supposed to do?! I don't know what I CAN do with Toochie being this hurt… It kills me to see him like this… He never overdosed enough to put him in something like this and he was always the fun-loving guy I looked forward to being with! He wasn't in pieces… But I won't let go of him this easily... he's been my best friend for over eleven years… a few years away won't keep me from loving him…_

_Odd, however… he's never called me "love" before…maybe he's more messed in the head than I thought…_

Noodle blushed at the idea of this and shrugged it off immediately when she felt thrashing coming from the sleeping man beside her. 2D's body shuddered and he continued to twitch and grunt in his sleep.

"Nnngh…, Nood-…come back… nyah...!" 2D whispered and grunted in a slightly frightened tone. A light veil of sweat covered his forehead and underneath his nose as he struggled in his sleep.

Narrowing her eyes at the man, she tried reading his face and he continued with inaudible noises that escaped from his mouth. After several more seconds of 2D's distressed noises, he shuddered again and fell limp, returning to a normal breathing rate with his chest rising and falling in rhythm.

Noodle tugged her arm from the sleeping man and freed herself before she massaged her sore arms and got up from the bed with a grunt of her own. After all the running, hiding, bruising and attacking, it had worn her out, but she dared not leave 2D alone for a long period of time, so instead, she took her presence to the elevator and made an errand to the boiler room, where she could get herself a cup of water for her and the restless 2D for when he'd decide to wake up.

* * *

Author's Note:

Woah. Point of view from the narrative perspective of Noodle.

Honestly I didn't want to do it, but I didn't feel like continuing with more continuous dreams of 2D. You'll get more of those here soon anyway.

Gorillaz does not belong to me.

I don't like this chapter… at all.

And I know it's slow, but it's only that way because 2D is trying to get his facts straight and realize reality is where he was all along…

Let me clarify for you guys before I go: Noodle is 21. 2D is 30. Just putting it out there. You guys should already be clarified with a huge age gap, but do you really care? Otherwise, I don't think you'd be tagging along with the story…

Reviews! Blah.


	6. Chapter 6

A mournful 2D opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by clouds and the rays of the sun pushing down below the horizon. His feet hung loosely off the side of a cliff's edge and the grass underneath him was like soft feathers, licking at his hands and tugging at his jeans. Hundreds of feet below the cliff was a city hidden from clouds, rain and polluted atmosphere. Up in the heavens, he soared through skies and watched pastel hues change from soft pinks to dull grays until his ears picked up the bone-chilling sound of sirens wailing behind him.

Dragging his face slowly to turn his attention to the sound, he saw a giant windmill tower over him and trees surrounding the red and white patterned structure. Father off were dark clouds with emerging black flecks and propellers whirling above them- the sound growing louder as they gained speed.

Sitting beside him was a young Noodle whose body was small and petite to his eyes.

Reaching his hand out to her, he recoiled immediately when his fingers slipped inside of her arm. His own body was transparent with dull shading and his fingertips shimmered when he touched her. Pulling his hand to his chest, he grabbed it and gawked at the girl who didn't seem to notice his presence at all. But when the sirens wailed louder and louder, she turned her head and gazed at the helicopters that surrounded the island before she immediately jumped up and turned to sprint to the turning windmill behind the couple.

2D followed in curiosity, but began to sprint for his life when he saw weapons protrude from the massive machines and aim at the girl. Fire rang out and echoed through the air, deafening Noodle's screams and his own, and before he knew it, he had run through the walls of the windmill to find the teenager slumped against the wall. Bullets crashed through the painted steel structure and she rolled to her right, grunting from surprise.

"NOODLE! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

2D pleaded to the young girl but her attention did not flicker to him; instead, she waited in silence for another minute until she opened the entrance to the building and looked about the floating island.

Following, Stuart ran to her and tried to touch her again but she continued to walk onto the empty stretch of burned grass on the cliff's edge, looking about her.

2D released his sight off of the girl and silently gasped at the burning trees and the destruction that riddled the remnants of the floating piece of earth. The windmills propellers had broken off and had stopped turning while the roof of the steel building had flames licking at the trees that surrounded the place. The air had become a smoky, ash-filled cloak that surrounded them and the island was rapidly plummeting to the earth. Frighteningly enough though, there was no Earth, but a mix of water and sharp stones coming closer and closer to the island from below.

The sirens had never ceased and the helicopters circled back around, firing away at Noodle who was running back to the burning windmill. Within several seconds, he saw the girl jump from the island which was about sixty stories from the impending welcome of death below.

2D, with no choice in his favor, jumped after her, a weightless vacuum of air cradling his body as he directed himself to the flailing ragdoll body of Noodle. Her arms welcomed the air, outstretched and her hair whipped behind her, revealing a face with tears pulling at the sides of her face and an unreadable expression.

When he was finally at her level, they were a mere second from the waves and he grasped her hand, able to find a hold on her body and they slammed into the churning water below.

Bubbles engulfed the couple and left them strangling for air, but this did not keep him from holding onto her small hand. He peeked his eyes open and looked at Noodle, who did not seemed surprised but showed a soft, apologetic face and she smiled, mouthing, "I love you, Toochie…"

Losing grip of the girl, he began to sink, never leaving his eyes off of the girl who swam to the surface and vanished.

"STUART! STU-!"

* * *

Jerking awake, 2D snapped his exhausted eyes open and he ground his teeth together, shuddering from a cold sweat that stretched from the nape of his neck to his lower back. He then noticed, however, that this was not sweat, because his whole body was drenched in water except for his hand, which was being tightly squeezed by a hand from someone else.

Flipping his stare to his hand, he followed the arm up to the face of the person who was only inches from his face, silently staring at him back. Her green eyes matched the ones he saw in his dream and he squinted in disbelief.

_Why am I WET?! WHAT'S GOIN' ON?! AM I AWAKE?! NOODLE!_

His instincts overpowered the screaming that sounded in the back of his head, pleading for him to notice he was in a dream. Ignoring the voice, he clung to the woman, daring not to let go. Burying his face into her shoulder, he pulled her onto the bed and he hummed to himself, getting a surprised gasp out of his savior, who woke him from his temporary dream.

"Take me away from here…Take me somewhere safe… Don't let me wake up… Don't leave me…," his voice dribbled out into her ear. Shaking from fear, he tugged at the back of her t-shirt and hid himself, confused as to what to do with himself or how to respond to his awakening.

* * *

(Noodle's POV)

Noodle cringed at the sweat and the water that began to soak into her clothes, but she ignored it when she realized that 2D began to cling tightly enough to crush her torso and bring pain back into her weak, bruised body.

She groaned and was surprised to find that he loosened up his grip, but still remained in physical contact with her body. Slowly, she pushed her body until she was hunched over 2D, who now began to tremble and cry when she moved away.

Scooping up the damp, pitiful mess into her arms, she took him in an embrace and set him in her lap, where she smoothed out his sweaty hair and laid her cheek upon the top of his head. 2D grasped her free hand, fingering it and examining it until he brought it to his heart and held it there, letting her feel his racing heartbeat that was beginning to slow.

"I'm not going anywhere Toochie… I'm here… I won't leave you…," she whispered repeatedly.

(2D's POV)

Time passed like that and what seemed to be minutes passed by in hours.

"2D…?"

_This is real…Blimey she's real… It's REAL!_

Stuart removed his face from her shoulder and blinked tiredly, removing himself from the warmth of her body and spoke groggily to himself, "I cun' believe yew are really here… I'm my room, wif me this very second…I cun' believe yew aren't dead… I cun'…"

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes which were swollen from all the crying that took place in that day. His nerves had brought tension into his neck and spine, making it uncomfortable for him to sit, hunched over on the edge of the bed.

He turned his body so it completely faced the bruised woman who sat at the head of his bed, looking at 2D with full attention. She did not respond, so he continued in a bashful voice, "I cun' believe after all this time… yew've been alive… After all those nightmares…those dreams and visuals of yew dying over and over again… I cun' comprehend… I just- I-I mean I don't…"

Noodle only smiled at him, "I've missed you too, Stuart…and someone else has too," she added.

Furrowing his eyebrows together, 2D popped his neck and looked back at the purple-haired girl and he was interrupted, "Russ has been waiting outside to meet you… Um… he couldn't come inside because of some obvious reasons, and you'll figure them when you see for yourself…"

She giggled lightly and hopped off the bed, and 2D sprang up and followed closely behind her, tripping over his feet and ignoring the pulsing that raided his empty head from the sudden movement. He didn't want to lose sight of her in case it was some sort of dream again- but he highly doubted it now that hours had passed with him in her tiny, fragile arms. He didn't want any chances to be taken. Not now, and not ever.

"Russel?! When did 'e get here," 2D swayed on his feet, taking it all in. With Noodle back from the dead, the years of isolation on the beach away from all live besides a grumpy Murdoc, and now Russel who hasn't been seen ever since he went to go to a psychologist for his own problems, it was all overwhelming.

Noodle flashed him a look and realized how lightheaded her friend had gotten. She darted under him and hugged his body, pushing him back up and against a wall to keep him steady.

"Hey, watch it Toochie. Don't want you passing out after I just got you up… Hey, focus," she lightly tapped the side of his cheek, knocking the fuzziness out of his eyes and kick-starting his attention again.

When he straightened his body again, she pulled away and looked him up and down before glancing at the elevator and at the cups on his bedside table.

_When did I bring plastic cups of water into my room? _

Shrugging to himself, he saw her pace over to the table and retrieved the only cup that was filled, taking it back and passing it to him.

"Drink. You're probably dehydrated and that's what's making you all woozy. Now c'mon," she kissed his jaw, as that was as far as she could get, since her height hadn't gotten that much taller.

Stuart blushed and looked into his cup, chewing the inside of his cheek and trying to prevent a small smile from growing on his lips. But his bashful thoughts were immediately pushed away when Noodle piped up excitedly.

"Let's go see Russ!"

* * *

Author's Note:

Hmm…I like this one better than the previous chapter. What do you think?

I have 2 or 3 more chappies to go, so enjoy it while you still can. And I may just write a sequel… I don't know what about, but it might be like… a prequel to this. I don't know. But I'll let you know on the last chapter for this story.

Gorillaz doesn't belong to me.

Reviews! I'm lovin' them.


	7. Chapter 7

Old cranking and thudding came from below the couple's feet as the elevator took them to the ground-level platform. The young woman took a step forward and was followed closely on her heels by the bluenette man.

_I still can' wrap my head around this… Noodle is here… She's only explained five minutes worth of her disappearance and she leads me out to meet Russ who's been gone for the same amount of time! 'Cept… he wasn't deemed dead like precious Noods here…_

They were welcomed from the evening sunset that crept down past the waves on the horizon. The waves rocked back and forth steadily and the sound of the water lapping at the plastic mass was soothing to their ears as they took themselves down the metal staircase.

Every few seconds, Noodle would turn her head to peek at Stuart, who kept his eyes on the back of her head, ignoring the neon pastels that painted the mural of the sky. He kept his attention to her and did not let it flicker from her, willing himself to keep some distance and to not pounce and fasten himself to the woman, afraid.

_I can't lose her. Not on the beach. Anything could happen out here in the open if this is a dream… _

_But…It's not a dream…_

She led him back around to the opposite side of the island, away from the entrance and near the docking platform which held one pontoon boat and a small wooden rowboat that was full of junk and moldy seawater.

Noodle brought her fingers to her lips, letting out a loud, defined whistle before she cupped both of her hands around her mouth and hollered, "RUSSEL-SAN!"

Before him, the water rippled with bubbles and protruded a massive brown figure.

Shrieking, 2D's knees went limp and he fell onto his hands, scrambling away from the docks as quickly as he could.

"I'S THE WHALE! IT'S THE WHALE, BLOODY HELL I'S THE WHAAAAAAAAAALE AN' I'S GROWN FOUR TIMES IT'S SIZE! HOLY HELL I'S GOIN TO KILL US! RUN NOODLE!"

2D clambered farther, but a loud booming voice made him flinch. He took his hands over his face and he could feel something bulky surround his thin frame and pull him into the air, squished within whatever was holding him.

His eyes grew huge, petrified as he squinted up to see two, large brown eyes staring back at him, "'D! Yo' man! No need to get into a pissy fit! It's me, Russ!"

2D gaped at the monstrous size of the man and realized what the giant had told him was true. It was the same, African-American man who drummed for the band, the same guy who goofed around with him many years ago, and was still the same friend that he hadn't forgotten. It was Russel, but five stories taller than when he'd last seen him.

2D tugged at his arms and he felt himself slip out of Russel's hand and into the other one, where fell into the cushiony skin of his palm. He lay there, baffled at the man who towered over him.

_No wonder Noodle was so…quiet about Russel's return… He was too damn big to fit onto the island itself!_

"Whot happened to yew?!" 2D's voice strangled in a screech.

"You know how dirty this water is. Radio-active shit soaked in and next thing I knew, I surfaced to find a normal life raft sitting on top of my head with Baby Doll loungin' around in it," The man pointed with his other hand to the top of his shiny bald head and 2D brought his shocked gaze up to where his eyes connected with Noodle's. She was bending over, her hands placed in between her legs and looking pointedly at him, smiling widely.

"Muds contacted me a while back saying he was headed to a so-called 'Plastic Beach' some ways east of River Thames. I had no clue where you were, but I had an idea by all the choppers heading out this direction. Once I had ol' Del taken away and got away from all those issues, I came to find the rest of the band… Hard as it was to find you guys, I found Miss Noodle here, lost at sea. Poor Baby had no way of getting home or where to go, she was so far gone from any land even remotely close… So we headed out and found this odd-piece of land that we suspected was Murdoc's said 'haven'."

Noodle giggled and continued on for him, "fortunately for you, Toochie, I found you knocked out against a tree. I had to find Murdoc, being the ego-maniacal idiot that he is, trapped behind a bookshelf in his own headquarters! Once I got him out of that mess, I convinced him to help me take you back to your room."

_So that's how I ended back up on my bed…_

"Wait…tha' wos YEW who I saw out on the water? I fought it was some sort of mirage or somefink," 2D shook his head, trying to clear it from everything that jumbled into one big knot of sense. It all connected but his mind was trying to comprehend all of the pieces.

Russel made no reply in this, except for a half-smile and a light chuckle that vibrated his whole body.

Noodle only cocked her head to the side a smile creeping to her mouth until her eyes darted to something farther out on the beach. Her smile immediately subsided when she cleared her throat. Russ, too, took his attention to something out on the beach and his smile dropped slightly when another voice joined the group.

"Oh, so you brought the dullard back for a get together, eh? And you didn't invite me? Well, tha's a shame. Hello again Russ! How're things out in the water? No whales bothering you recently," Murdoc hollered.

2D flinched at the voice- it was the man he knew all too well. His mate and abusive friend, Murdoc, had intruded on the kindly meeting and was going to bring some sort of awkward rudeness into the nostalgic encounter with his friends. He even added the memory of that blasted whale that was probably patrolling the waters right now, watching him in the palm of Russel's large, brown hand.

The skeletal man turned his face to see Murdoc, strolling the edge of the water with a small pipe in his mouth and a sailor cap that shaded his eyes from the setting sun. The air that was brought with him was unwelcomed by Noodle, who grimaced at his presence.

"Hey Muds," Russel greeted.

"Uh, Noodle, I have some business to speak with you," Murdoc hollered louder.

2D turned his attention back to the girl who was not hiding her distaste in the suggestion. She groaned angrily and tapped Russel's head, controlling her temper and asking in a polite voice, "please let me down, Russel-kun…"

Once she was put safely back on the ground, she looked up at Stuart who was jumping up and down to get Russel's attention to do the same for him. After he huffed out, "please, Russ? Heights make me nerv'us…," he was set back down on the plastic waste, directing his attention to the other two band members who were working their ways back to the entrance of the looming structure.

He would've liked to tag along, but Russel came up to the side of the shore and sat on the continental shelf that rose slightly from the ocean's depths, allowing a small spot of rest for the giant man.

"Hey D'… I know it's been a while, but I've still got your back. Noods mentioned some issues you had when she came in to meet you for the first time. I'm not saying you gotta tell me anything, but I'm saying that since we were close friends before I left, you can count on me now if you want to talk."

2D was taken aback. He didn't realize that Noodle had mentioned anything about him when she had left for the first time that day, much less mention it to Russ. And although his problems were serious and personal, he couldn't help but feel relieved now that he had someone other than a cheeky and ignorant Murdoc. Sure, he appreciated his company, but it was debatable on whether or not he'd be a pleasant friend or a drunken mess with a sullen tongue.

Taking one last look to the couple that walked farther down the long stretch of painted plastic, he looked down and began to sit with his feet hanging off the edge of the pier. He swayed his legs and swallowed the lump in his dry throat, pulling out words from his head and forming a story into the air that hung in silence between them.

* * *

Author's Note:

I'm a terrible person for leaving cliff-hangers. I really am…

And this was a rather short chapter. AND I didn't update until very late tonight…But I'll continue working on this until early morning.

I might update again in the morning so I can repay for the time that you have waited today…

Hmm… a friendship mending between Russel and 2D…

But what does Murdoc want with Noodle? Hmm…

Review please. I appreciate your feedback. But if it's flame, why would you have begun reading this at all? If you wanted to read this story and your expectations were not filled, tell me why you are unhappy and I'll try to sort it through.

I don't own Gorillaz.


	8. Chapter 8

(Noodle's POV)

"Murdoc," Noodle greeted as she caught up to him at his place on the rough shoreline.

She hadn't spoken to him much other than the time when she convinced him into helping her carry a drug-induced Stuart back to his bedroom and when she'd confronted him for the problems that she'd come to interfere when she found 2D huddled away from her presence in his room.

"Come Noods, I need explanations. Full detail and don't leave any tiny tidbits out, you hear me? This is important," he said sourly.

_Typical Muds… still drunk as a fish and ignorant too…_

She scrunched her nose as she drank in his scent: tobacco and the strong stench of liquor hung on his breath. This made the hairs on her back stand on end, but she pushed it away, thankful for the fresh air while she had it; unfortunately, her hopes were not in her favor, as she saw they were nearing close to the stairs that led to the elevator to the Gorillaz hideout.

She took one last, departing glance to the crushed 2D, his head in his hands, and a tentative Russel who's head was nodding politely at Stuarts pitying figure on the pier.

Returning her thoughts back to what was in front of her, she brought her body up the steps besides the green-skinned man and grumbled out darkly, "what happened? I parachuted off and struggled for survival from a strange man in a black cape and who's face was bound in a gas mask."

Murdoc stayed silent as they entered the pink structure and punched the button to the elevator, stepping over the many assortments of boogie boards, tennis rackets and cardboard boxes that matched the ones in 2D's bedroom. Noodle took a deep breath, "when I was on the island, I thought that you sent someone to keep tabs on me… but they opened fire and I assumed it was the government of some sort that came to take me back to that sky needle that you and 2D were imprisoned in. But at the last moment, before I jumped off, I saw the man in the mask flash besides the windmill and he was gone… I think his henchmen were up to something. They were trying to capture or kill me, but I didn't want to figure out why, so I jumped, landed in some sort of river and was knocked unconscious."

_I'm tired of repeating my story… This is the third time I've had to say it this week… Watashi ni ichido no tame no kyūkei o ataeru...(Give me a break for once)_

"I woke up, washed on some beach I didn't know where was. I came across a tourist who claimed I was near Queenborough and Sheerness. I managed to get access to traveling across the water instead of land, considering that was one of the easiest ways to go without getting ambushed, but each boat I jumped on was hijacked by the same henchmen that attacked me on the island about five years ago…"

By this time, Murdoc had taken them to the Boiler Room and they had walked to the tea dispenser- an offering by Muds as compensation for the talk.

_Wow… compensation. This has got to be one of the kinder things he's done for me… Great…what's the prick got up his sleeve now?_

After Noodle was situated with a cup of tea, they began to meander around that room, staring at a man who was clanking on the pipes some ways away from them with a frying pan.

"Well, Noods, sounds like you've been through Hell, but surprise, Hun. You haven't rid yourself of it yet. The damn shitface has been lurking around, looking for me ever since I first saw him. He probably targeted you when he saw your isolation away from Feel Good Inc…"

Murdoc's voice trailed off as he took his eyes to the room off to the side of the power box for the home.

_First saw him…?!_

"Wait… you've met the bastard? MURDOC HE ATTACKED ME! WHAT DID YOU DO," Noodle's voice rang out furiously as she balled her empty hand into a fist. A large frown spread across her face and her bangs shadowed her eyes as they used to when she was younger.

"Calm down. I may have made an agreement with a man who claimed I would get fame and fortune if I made sacrifices to him, but that's not all that bad," he cackled before he waved it off and continued, "the real issue is that I didn't give him my part of the deal and now he's hunting my arse so I can pay him back with the souls of children or some stupid shit like tha'…"

"CALM DOWN?! My LIFE was put in danger because of some stupid lie you told a psychopath! He attacked me and I almost died! DIED, MURDOC! Yet you don't seem to care all that much! You probably just shrugged it off! In fact, you took the cowards way out and arranged for 2D to be shipped to this island against his will to hide from the very bastard! You took him and kept what little there was of the band left for your own selfish reasons- fame and fortune! But I guess that fame has gotten to it's end, now that all of our lives are on the line… But… wait… how did you keep writing music? How did you publish another album without the help of me or Russel as your guitarist and drummer?"

Her voice went from rage to sudden suspicion, and that was when Murdoc walked off towards the door besides the control panel.

Scrunching her forehead and narrowing her eyes, she gritted her teeth and huffed out an angry breath seeing that Murdoc ignored her question and walked into the small storage room, passing the light switch that was flipped off and leaving him swallowed in the darkness.

"Well, sweetie, seeing that we all thought you were dead, we couldn't just let the band die, now could we, hmm? So, I went to the crash site where you were last seen and took any DNA samples that I could find to make THIS beauty!"

Noodle poked her head around the door frame and looked inside the dark room. She watched Murdoc clap and an electrical fuzz circuited around a figure that was small in comparison to her own body. She heard a few dozen snapping sounds and a voice that mimicked her own in a monotone drone, "Sir."

Noodle stepped back immediately and froze in her place when an exact replica of her own, younger self, strode out of the cramped storage room and into the dull, gray light of the Boiler Room.

Everything about her was exactly the same; even the eyes, which were fixated on Murdoc in a hauntingly frightening way, were the same green shade. Dressed from head to toe was a skimpy military uniform: tight leather shorts complimented long, thin legs while a leather military vest fit her torso. Circling her waist was a large ammunition belt and bandoliers crossed over her shoulders. Large army boots protected her feet and a leather beret sat atop her purple hair.

"You…made me…?"

"Mhmm. Cost a fortune to make, but it was well worth it. Can shoot weapons from almost anywhere on her body and responds to every order I command her to. She plays with the same skills and has been programmed to play the drums too. The only flaw in it though is her circuiting can go askew… she has a few…"

He trailed off and she took her eyes back to the cyborg clone of herself, which was hiccupping with electricity and sparks pushing out of the top left section of her head where a gaping hole had shown.

"…Ticks," he finished slowly.

Noodle's anger had sky rocketed by now, "You REPLACED ME AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED AT ALL?! WHAT ABOUT RUSS?! DID YOU MAKE HIM TOO? You forgot us… You made me again and replaced me with a military-brat cyborg clone of me to KEEP YOUR DAMN FAME AND FORTUNE, YOU SELFISH BASTARD! You didn't even try once, to look for me! My body was gone, so didn't you have any clue, you imbecile?! Yū wa kinishinai! You never cared for anyone except for yourself! Pull your head out of your arse and realize what you've gotten all of us into! We could die and it'd be all in your name because you made the shitty decision to sell us out for a demonic psychopath…!"

Noodle felt like her insides were going to burst from all the yelling and exhaustion she felt. She just got on the island and was hoping for a day's worth of rest before she'd get into stress. But Murdoc had done too much damage within the time that she was gone…She hadn't even started on the issue with 2D and she was already repulsed by the very sight of Murdoc.

Turning her body around, she curled her lips and fought the urge to break Murdoc's face in with her fists. She was tired of his presence and wanted to sleep. Her eye twitched and she spat out over her shoulder in finality, "get rid of that piece of shit you call "beauty". I'm here and I'm fixing your mess whether you want me to or not. And if you don't rid this place of that mechanical waste, I'LL see to it…"

* * *

Author's Note:

Another short chapter, but it was pretty filling, I think…

Thank you for all your feedback. But I need more! Tell me your thoughts on all of it! Be honest. (:

Oh crap... Noods is pissed… And Murdoc is on her shit list… This will be nice.

I didn't mention 2D in this because I couldn't find a decent way to stuff him into the chapter without messing up the whole dialogue that I began… but I've already begun the next chapter. No more than one or two updates everyday. I don't want to overload you guys. I need feedback before I submit so I know that what I'm doing is keeping you interested in the plot.

Reviews!

I don't own Gorillaz.


	9. Chapter 9

Quick Author's Note:

I freaked out when I watched the music video "Tomorrow Comes Today" for the hundredth time. Nearing the end of the song, you see pills floating toward the camera and they were green and white headache pills…

At the beginning of my story I had green and white pills. The colors were picked at random…

I just thought I'd like to say how cool it was that I picked the colors shown in one of their music videos…

Anyway… back to the story…!

* * *

(2D's POV)

The sun had sunken well below the horizon and the stars had begun to shine overhead, leaving Stuart Pot and Russel Hobbs basking in the light that shone from the moon.

"…and tha' wos when I woke up to find Noods there besi' mah bed, holdin' mah hand like she'd never left in the first place…and I… I dunno Russ… I's like she changed or somefink. I dun know how, but she's differen'."

Russel lifted a massive hand and laid it on his head, letting out a deep breath, "D', she's not a little girl anymore. She's still the same Noodle she was when she disappeared, but she's grown up, and too quickly for her own good, I might add. She's been through Hell more than a few times and I wouldn't question her ability to throw a few nasty hits at anyone who dare hurt her. But I'd be sure to crush their cracker-ass if they lay one hand on my Baby Girl."

_I wouldn't doubt you either, Russ…_

_But, that's not entirely what I meant… She's matured…eye-catching. _

Stuart shuddered and he regretted his thoughts about Noodle. Although she'd grown to be a beautiful young woman, it was wrong of him to think of her like that. He'd known her ever since she was a measly ten years old who had no idea to speak his language other than her own name. He considered her a little sister then-not someone who was sexually different than him who had feminine issues of her own.

_She took me by surprise, actually, when I first saw her. She lacked the body figure of a woman years ago and when she turned up in my room today, I was completely thrown off. She looked nothing like herself, other than the fact that she had the same color of hair and eyes and same Asian characteristics. Her name no longer matched the way she looked: toned muscles, larger bust and hips, taller height and defined jaw line._

No longer was his little Noods a "pretty girl". She had the natural beauty of a woman and 2D began to feel something stir inside of himself. Horror struck him and his stomach began to churn violently, a sick flow of warmth spreading through his chest.

"Yo 'D… You feelin' okay? You're lookin' a little green."

This wasn't happening to him….

_I left the band when I thought she died… I've dreamt only about her for the past five years every night I dared fall asleep. I longed to be out with her on that island, the day it plummeted down from the skies. I hoped that she'd still be alive and every morning I was left to myself, exhausted of the nightmares she visited me in… and this is what it was from? This is why I've done and felt all these things? What… I can't… I…_

"Thanks Russel-kun. That really means a lot…," Noodle's voice rang out.

Flinching, 2D took his widened eyes to see the silhouette of Noodle standing over him in the darkness. The light of the moon shined on her silky hair and outlined her figure, making him shudder again. He swallowed and flashed his eyes back to the black water that pushed beneath his feet.

_I can't look her in the face now… Great…_

He sighed quietly and Noodle continued quietly, "um… Toochie… can I ask you a favor…?"

Her voice trembled and hesitated, and he could tell she was trying to control her voice for whatever reason, but he simply shrugged and looked back to the woman, avoiding her eyes and staring at her forehead. "What is it, Love?"

Noodle scratched the back of her head, shifting her feet until she stomped and crossed her arms over her chest and grumbled out, "since Murdoc didn't furnish the island enough to make everyone rooms, I have no place to sleep… and the last damn place I want to be is anywhere near Muds. So…I was wanting to know…"

She stopped mid-sentence and looked to Russel who was watching the couple intently before grumbling out, "if you could share your room with me."

2D choked on his saliva, and continued into a coughing spasm, covering his face and feeling his cheeks grow hot in embarrassment. He'd only been thinking about hormonal changes and how she matured seconds ago, and now she wanted to share his bed with him.

_Good God!_

"Sorry Noodle, I think something caught in my throat for a second. Yeh… I don't mind tha'…," Stuart's voice trailed off and he took his head out of his hands and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, pushing out the awkward thoughts that began to enter his brain.

"Sorry about how messy mah room is… I'll tidy ih' up for yew, yeah,"

2D managed to get onto his feet and walked off of the pier, waving goodbye to the unsightly large man in the water before stalking off to the elevator.

_Cool off and stop botherin' yourself about ih. Don't think about the whole mess about your feelin's and do whatever you can to help Noodle. This ain't a dream, and this isn't a fairytale either. So don't treat it like one and move on. _

_Oh this is so wrong…_

His stomach began to churn again as he tried to piece everything together. The feelings he might've had before El' Manana happened, the dreams he had all those years when he believed her to be dead, and now her return as a beautiful, full-grown woman who asked to sleep in his bed with him…

The irony of it all kept 2D in a trance as he headed down the elevator shaft and entered his room, blindly picking up items and sorting them into an orderly fashion in their appropriate spots, or stuffed under his bed. It took him a mere fifteen minutes to clean his cement floor and fix the sheets and comforter on his bed and he realized when he stopped in the center of his room, that Noodle hadn't followed him.

2D smoothed the covers of his bed, nervous of the idea that Noodle was going to sleep in his room again.

He took his eyes to the floor and lost himself in his thoughts; nostalgia flooded over him and brought him to his past.

When she was much younger, a newly made member of the band, she made 2D her refuge when nightmares or something scary had frightened her. She'd come running into his bedroom at night, shaking him awake and crying out what little English she could come up with to let him know she was afraid. As a protective "adoptive" brother, he let her crawl into his bed and fall asleep with her head on his chest.

But…that was years ago when she was a child; not a grown woman with bruises all over her body. But in the same light, that was when she was in need of comfort. She's in need of comfort now, as in a place to sleep.

Letting out a long, strangled sigh, he frowned and took his eyes to the alarm clock.

_8:27 PM_

_I better go take a shower; I've been sweating all day and I know she doesn't want to sleep next to that smell…_

2D begrudgingly opened his dresser drawers and his face went numb when all he could find was a pair of boxers and pajama pants. All of his shirts were thrown in a dirty laundry basket on the other side of the room.

"I usually sleep in mah underwear… But not tonight! Wish there wos ah shirt to pair this wif…," he whispered to himself.

Grabbing the clump of clothes, he took off, entering the elevator which took him to the hallway leading to Murdoc's bedroom. Off to the right, however, was a door that opened to a bathroom, complete with a shower, toilet, mirror and sink installed.

Grabbing a towel from the cabinet below the sink, he laid it on the rack and turned on the tower head, turning the knob to the highest heat setting before he stripped down to his underwear. He furrowed his eyebrows together, studying himself in the mirror.

His rib cage slightly poked out from his hips and his collarbone was hollow as his skin hugged tightly to his body. His arms and legs were lean and muscled and his stomach showed no signs of abdominal muscles- which was fine because he didn't really care all that much for self image. He let that go when his eyes had been pushed in and the dents in his head made him frightening to many at a first glance. He was used to publicity reacting to his image, but that was years ago; now he lived away from the paparazzi and city streets filled with people. Lonely silence on a rotting beach was all he had to live on now. So what did it matter what he looked like?

Looking away from the mirror, he shrugged off the last of his clothes before he stepped into the shower, letting the hot water crawl down his back and relax the nerves that buzzed beneath his skin and hoping for the steam to clear out the stress that clouded the feelings in his head.

* * *

(Author's Note)

2D, don't go thinking naughty thoughts now… We don't need that when Noodle's gonna spend the night in your room. Nope.

And aww. Noodle was so worried and nervous in asking him… But maybe that's cause she was angry at the idea that she wanted to stay far away from Muds. Not that she would ever sleep in his room anyway. He was frightening enough during the day- she didn't want to see that mess at night in his bedroom.

Shudders… MOVING ON!

The reviews have helped guys. I'm glad you're happy and situated with how the story is flowing. But keep me updated with your opinions! I love them just as much as you guys like the story!

I don't own Gorillaz; y'all should know that by now…


	10. Chapter 10

(Noodle's POV)

Indigo hair shadowed a young woman's face as she looked about the small, convenient bedroom. A red glow pooled into the small space from the lava lamp that sat atop a bedside table with an alarm clock and an orange pill bottle sitting close by. The room was noticeably cleaner than when she'd first seen him on the island, and she had to admit, it was sweet of 2D to treat her with upmost respect and did the most he could, by cleaning his room to where it was decent for a visitor.

Before her was the same bed she laid on in hopes to comfort her insecure friend, Stuart Pot, who fought off demons and nightmares in his head.

_2D has been through shit to have forgotten the differences between reality and dream-state… Although he's always been a little jumpy at times, he's gone from a strong mental status to one that's beaten down and worn away. He seems to look like he's in some sort of trance when he looks at me; he's there with me physically, but it's as if he's captivated in his thoughts, miles away from me…_

She walked along the side of the bed, tracing her fingertips along the soft linen of his bed until her hand fell off numbly and she took her eyes back to the bedside table. She frowned at the capsules that were encased in the orange container and she reached out, grasping it and taking it to her face, examining the medication.

Every green and white patterned pill was engraved with "10 mg" and her green eyes flashed to the bottle, the label reading "Lortab".

Noodle's eyebrows furrowed together as her eyes skimmed the possible symptoms listed on the label, but could only read a few, since it ended with "consult your physician for more information on your prescribed medication".

_Nausea. Sweating. Unusual thoughts or behavior. Drowsiness-anxiety-seizure-slowed heartbeat-loss of appetite- discoloration of the skin or eyes._

These were symptoms that 2D could get by one dose, but from what she'd seen earlier, he took a few and didn't care to count how many there was.

_Oh Toochie… Why are you doing this to yourself…?_

She brought a shaky hand to her mouth and she set the bottle gently on the table, unable to breathe without letting out an uneven sigh which slowly began to grow into a silent lament for 2D.

_You are risking your life by taking these supplements… You're throwing yourself into drugged nightmares and nervous outbreaks… You were wandering aimlessly on these beaches and Murdoc didn't even attempt to help you when I was gone… Stuart… I can't watch you do this to yourself. I can't…_

Noodle seized up her anger and curled her hands into fists, popping her knuckles and grinding her teeth while she blinked away tears that threatened to fall on her face.

Begrudgingly, Noodle climbed onto the mattress and huffed out a sigh of defeat, realizing she couldn't change a thing. She can only throw out empty pleas and hope that 2D stay safe, no matter what decision he makes.

She was only that friend that could hold back her thoughts and keep them in her head, using every ounce of her will to hold back from physically harboring the addiction and weaning him off of the drugs that he seemed to take fairly frequently. She could only watch, holding in her thoughts on the man who'd changed in the five years that she'd gone missing.

Turning on her side, she glared at the wall, but her eyes softened when she thought of how quietly Stuart had been when she held him, hours ago on this same bed.

Her mind raced back to that and she longed for that chance to hold him again, whether he was upset or not; his soft pale skin, the bright blue hair, the sadness in his eyes that never left- it was home in her eyes. Ever since she was a child, she had been treated like that- cradled in his long arms when she wanted someone to love her, care for her and guide her through her teenage years until she left them in all in a sudden moment of gunshots and fire.

But now, when she returned to that home that she was sure she'd lost, she wasn't sure it was a family figure anymore. It was something else that she couldn't pick out, and it made her all the more worried for his health and newborn addiction.

_Well…who knows when he started taking that many doses…? He might've begun years ago and I would've never known because I was gone. I was gone and I was the one who left him like this._

Noodle closed her eyes and curled beneath the covers, hearing the pipes overhead shut off and the sound of water receding, leaving her in the bone-chilling silence.

She buried her face into the covers and took in the scent of butterscotch and cigarette smoke; Noodle smiled and was lulled to sleep, emerged in her memories and bittersweet sadness.

* * *

(2D's POV)

A little while later, after all his thoughts and problems washed down the drain, Stuart finished his shower and dried himself off, clothing himself with all he had and hung the black towel over his shoulders. He tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper over besides the door, then turned the knob and opened up to the dark hallway with a single light down near the elevator.

Steam flooded out of the room when 2D left the room and he weaved through the clutter in the hallway, stepping over all of Murdoc's junk that he never bothered to drag into his room.

_Lazy twat…_

2D began to flip through ideas and played scenes in his head, figuring out what to do for the majority of the night. He refused to take his pain killers, for they only made him fatigued and he'd already slept most of that day off. He was determined to stay up for the majority of that night, and whether Noodle was going to join him was up to her.

He pondered on these things as he took the elevator down to his room.

_Marathon of Dawn of the Dead. Yep. _

2D shook his towel over his head, scrubbing the water out and then smoothing his hair down when the elevator jerked and the metal doors opened to his bedroom.

As he expected, Noodle was already situated on his bed, but he didn't expect her to be asleep that quickly. He'd only been occupied in the bathroom for twenty minutes at most!

He flashed his gaze to the alarm clock which read, "9:17 PM". He'd been in there for almost a full hour.

2D just shrugged at this, ruffled his hair again and laid the towel out on the railing at the foot of his bed, careful as to not wake up the sleeping woman whose back was to him. Her purple hair covered the majority of her face while her body was curled beneath the mass of comforters on his bed, only letting out a faint snoring that 2D could barely catch.

Smirking, 2D turned away and frowned when he realized that the sound of the television would wake his sleeping visitor, so he began to pace his room, evaluating his choices.

He eliminated the choice of setting the television on mute and adding subtitles. Imagining the sounds of zombies tearing flesh and blood-curdling screams wasn't the same as what was provided in the footage.

There was the option of books, but it was difficult reading in just the light of a lava lamp. So he ruled reading as well as drawing and writing with the choices he was given.

So he twiddled his thumbs, puzzled in the limited options he considered until he bowed his head in defeat and rubbed his neck.

I won't always get the things I want…But at least I'll know that Noods is safe here with me and Russ watching over her…

He lifted the covers and crawled into the bed, laying on his back and enjoying the warmth that Noodle's body gave off.

The stir on the bed, unfortunately, woke up Noodle who flipped over and stared blankly at Stuart for a couple of seconds. Her tired eyes were clouded with sleep and her purple bangs covered her eyes, making it harder for her to see him in the red glow of the lava lamp.

"2D-san…," she began in a drowsy voice.

"Sorry I woke you, Love. Go back to sleep," Stuart murmured in a hushed tone.

She yawned out a, "mhmm," before she curled into the grown man's arm and quickly fell unconscious.

When he could hear the rhythmic sound of her breathing slow to an even pace, he relaxed and laid his head back against the edge of his pillow.

I'm tired of sleeping… And I'm tired of waking from nightmares too… But I guess it's the only choice I've got…

2D turned to the lump under his covers that hid Noodle's tiny frame and he smiled lightly at how her smaller body fit so well into the crook of his own. It felt odd to him, considering the fact that it'd been years since he'd last had a girlfriend to sleep with, much less have a girlfriend at all. That comfort of a second person lying beside him was not only warming to his body, but it softened the busy thoughts that drove through his mind and reverberated through his ears.

It mellowed him and came to him as a remedy: the feeling of being needed by someone other than a drunken materialist with green skin.

The fact that Noodle was alive at all was something that made him tenderhearted and hopeful. If he managed to push back the unexpected feelings he had for her now, he could stabilize their friendship and fortify it. But still…there was that feeling in the back of his head, snagging at his thoughts and keeping him from it.

_This is wrong. I can't do this… Think of what Muds would say…What Russ would do. If we find a way to get off the island, what would my morals prove? Noodle is YEARS younger than me; she sees me as an older sibling with weird hair and smashed in face! I'm no good: let it go._

The warmth that enclosed his body left and he let the voices in his head get full access to him, manipulating his spirit and pricking at it with the name he was avoiding all night.

_Pedophile…._

Closing his eyes, he flipped to his other side and curled into a ball, coldness sweeping into his exposed shoulders and torso.

_Pedophile…._

Uncomfortable, he turned once more so he lay on his back again and pleaded his body to succumb to sleep.

It was half an hour later before his body finally gave into his internal cries and took him into the first dreamless sleep he had in years.

* * *

(Author's Note)

Oh look-it! Noodle's got secrets to hide too… How cute.

I love that you like my story. I'm working on 2D's backbone. He's gotta man-up sooner or later… But realize it's only been a day. A few hours of repairing isn't much, but I'm working on it because I know how much you might be tired of him being depressed & insecure…

But that's kinda what this story is about… Sorry guys.

Thanks for your feedback!

I'LL BE HEADING OUT TO VACATION TODAY! I won't be able to update as often, I don't think, so I posted a chapter early today. I'm hoping that the mountains will have a decent wireless connection…

I love you all! I hope you've liked it so far!

Review please.

I don't own Gorillaz.


	11. Chapter 11

(2D's POV)

Several hours had come to pass with the couple tossing and turning in the dark, hollow bedroom. In a gentle, noiseless waking, Stuart peeked his eyes open, disoriented and extremely comfortable in the soft, overtly warm sheets in his bed. Normally he awoke in the cold sweat that dripped down his neck or was chilled with a light trace of heat in his comforter, but this time, something was providing the source for him, making him shiver in delight and look about him questioningly.

He shifted his blurred eyes down to his upper torso and found a mass which was letting out faint snores and soundless breathing.

2D tried moving his left arm but soon found it was lying under the mass that was inhabiting his bed and making him warmer by the second. His other arm, he found, was lying on top of the person's side, touching soft skin and a ruffled shirt.

This aroused the man awake, forcing him to blink hard at what all his eyes could see and lifting his head off of the pillow to crane his neck and get a clearer view.

He recognized soft purple hair that cascaded down the side of a soft face and the tiny body of Noodle, her backside facing him, pressing into the crook of his body. Her forearms were partially covering her head, hiding her small button nose and shiny hair away from the stunned man who lay there, befuddled.

"Wot…?"

His head traced back to last night and it wasn't until he saw a large bruise cover the side of her face, harboring a long cut that he realized that Noodle was alive. She'd come back to the band with the company of Russ and had asked for the favor of sleeping with him in his room.

It was then that he took his eyes to his hand, where he'd felt smooth skin under his fingertips. Rubbing his thumb across Noodle's hip he connected the dots and realized that sometime during the night, he'd unconsciously began to cuddle this woman and had, in fact, spooned her.

Awkward as it was, he wasn't too upset with the idea. He'd gone through the entire night without even an image entering his subconscious. He was finally warm in his sleep and his awakening, and had woken up to Noodle, who he'd never finished grieving over when he believed her to be dead, years ago. But now that she was in his grasp, it wasn't hard to appreciate what all had happened in that night, whether he was awake to experience it or not.

The only bothersome thoughts that entered his mind when he woke to find himself cuddling the woman was how completely blissful he was that he was sleeping in bed with a woman in general- much more, with someone as special to him as Noodle. He'd tried pushing away this feeling the previous night, his mind distracting him with unpleasant labels and age factors, but he managed to toss his worries away for the time being since he was so completely happy with his current whereabouts with her now.

_Pedophile…_

2D shuddered and his conscience returned, a little black cloud pouring rationalities into his head, picking away at his positivity and pulling down the unexpected smile that had grown when Noodle had caught his eye.

Ever since Noodle had been deemed dead, he'd had no other friend other than Murdoc who'd yell in his face or greet him with unpleasant and obscene names. In attempts to keep himself active, Muds would resort to getting wasted on any liquor he had stashed away in his headquarters in the prettier parts of the mansion. This would result in a nasty knock in the head for 2D if he was found wandering the upper sections of the house or out on the dirty plastic that was a viewpoint for the towering home above.

And so, when 2D had finally come to his senses, pushing out the nightmares that mixed in with his reality from the continuous sleeping, he clung to every chance that he could to be by Noodle's side: crying on her when he realized she was alive, walking no farther than a few feet away when she was escorting him to meet Russ beside the island, to watching her walk away with a suspicious Murdoc who demanded her to talk to him privately.

And yet, during that, he'd been silent and resorted to soaking in the very idea that she wasn't gone. It was complete exhilaration that his long-lost best friend was with them and wasn't going to leave anytime soon; a new high that left him light-headed and almost disbelieving of it all. But he forced himself to shrug off the weariness and enjoy.

_If Noodle wakes up with me and her like this…I'll fake ih' an' act like I'm asleep. This wos accidental and nevah intended…_

2D smirked and let his head rest on the pillow again, looking down at Noodle's uncovered head and admiring her soft purple hair.

_Yeh… jus' an acciden'…_

* * *

(Noodle's POV)

Noodle woke to something brushing against her hip. Resisting the urge to kick whatever was behind her and was touching her bare skin, she simply opened her eyes into small slits and inhaled the sharp scent of butterscotch and cigarettes.

_Toochie…? What are you-…?_

Her eyes closed and she did not move, as her mind raced into memories and as soon as she remembered where she was and how she got there, she heard a sigh and 2D's hand went still on her hip. Chills ran down her spine, goose-bumps rising on her back and shoulders at the thought of being in a bed with Stuart. In all of this, she forced her body to lie still, savoring the sweet moment and dwelling on the issues that arose in the previous day.

She'd managed to figure out a demonic murderer was set out to find the band and get vengeance against Murdoc's lies. In attempt to flee from the maniac, Murdoc shipped 2D to the island against his will and took the time to build upon the island she was on now, furnishing it with expensive equipment for recording albums and simplistic living out in the middle of the ocean. While 2D was being shipped, Murdoc had apparently gone to make a duplicate of Noodle, replacing her with a weapon-wielding bodyguard that both played her instruments and, supposedly, the drums, since Russel was gone for the time being as well.

She'd been found by the African American man that had grown several stories, was taken to Plastic Beach, and discovered 2D, engulfed in confusion between reality and whatever horror his mind had provided him while she was away.

She felt partially responsible for his newly-found drug addictions, delusions and confusion and it made her feel distraught, seeing him so broken-down and frightened. It struck her in a place she'd built a barrier over when she vowed not to let destruction violate her sureness of everything. It hit her in the heart, an unexpected wave of something she'd dare not say out loud, for she knew it wasn't something she should succumb to. It was the whole reason why she built the wall up in the first place.

Broken feelings for another person that was years older than her were not in any way helpful to her own, psychological health. But it was definitely a bittersweet welcome to see him still alive and safe from the demonic murderer. She owed Murdoc- if it wasn't for him, the demonic psychopath would've gone after Stuart too, possibly killing him in the act and it still wouldn't be enough for the crazed man. Bloodlust, like what Muds had explained, was something to be feared because it was never a predictable crime.

Minutes later, after considering all of these things, Noodle opened her green eyes and stared blankly at the wall before her and yawned, stretching her legs and raising her arms above her head. She stopped in mid-stretch, her joints and muscles burning and crying for her to stop. So instead, she flinched with her limbs stretched away from her torso and she pulled these back, sore and achy.

2D's hand was still slung over her hip, limp, when she looked over to the blue-haired man behind her. His face was still, but she could see his eyes moving under his twitching eyelids. She smirked and turned her body to where her back laid against the mattress, her back popping and muscles displeased with her movement. She ignored this and continued to stare at the man.

"Toochie… you've been a terrible liar ever since I first met you. Don't think you can fool me now with your twitchy eyelids," she scoffed in a tired voice.

She smiled wider, getting a pouty face from the man who peeked one eye open and looked at her questioningly while he supported his head with his hand.

"I don' know where you got "terribol liah" from cos I know for a fact that Muds is gullible like nobody else I've evah seen."

Noodle rolled her eyes, flipping back to the green bastard and frowning at the image.

"He's drunk most of the time though, isn't he? Of course he's going to be gullible…"

2D didn't reply to this; he simply traced her stomach back to her hip that was farthest from him, and he pushed himself higher, narrowing his eyes.

"Okay, if I'm wrong 'bout being a liah, I definitely still remember tha' yew are ticklish almost ev'rywhere!"

Noodle widened her eyes and was prodded softly in her hips, making her jump and smile a little at 2D. This pushed the man to excel further, hovering over the woman and tickling her ribcage, making her giggle and thrash on the bed beneath him. Although it brought back soreness in almost every area that he tickled, she withstood the aches and cried for him to stop in between gasps and laughing.

After about a minute of severe tickling, 2D bent over her body and whispered in a husky voice, "do yew surrender?"

Noodle gasped again, tears falling down the sides of her face and she laughed even harder when 2D tickled her hips and back to her ribcage again. She nodded faintly; she was already cringing from all the soreness and tickling he was giving her, making it harder to respond without feeling like her body parts would fall of their limbs.

Finished with his work, 2D sat back on his heels, an air of victory plastered onto his smirking face.

Noodle propped her body against the metal railing of his bedpost, wiping away the tears and smiling back at the man, angry at the fluttering heartbeat inside her chest. The longing had returned and she'd fought off with every ounce to not give into her emotions and let them take over. But 2D's sweet, mellow face had soon begun to wash over him and he looked softly to the girl, making the goose-bumps rise once again and the beating in her chest skip.

_Why is this happening to me…?_

* * *

(Author's Note:)

Awww cute. It took a while to write and update this chapter. I was fangirling too much over this and the wifi sucked, so I decided to add some fun into it while I could instead of longing to submit it in fanfiction with the loss of internet.

I hope you guys liked this chapter!

I don't know how to progress though… I'll keep tabs with anyone who replies. I think I have an idea, but I'm not so sure about it. WRITER'S BLOCK! UGH! I HATE IT!

Reviews. I'm in desperate need for them, seeing that I'll need to PM you for ideas. Don't hate me. I hate blanking out on a story like this, especially when there's more to the plot than just romance…

Help!

Thanks for all your support! I love you all!

I do not own Gorillaz.


	12. Chapter 12

(2D's POV)

"Muds!"

Stuart rapped at the master bedroom's door, hollering for Murdoc in an excited tone, almost unable to conceal himself.

In the time that he'd spent staring blankly at Noodle's face, he hadn't realized how many years he'd missed celebrating her special day, as well as the incredibly large man that lounged around out in the seas bordering Plastic Beach. He'd silently cursed himself, not considering her age factor and new legal freedoms she could partake in.

2D heard a few thumps on the other side of the door and the door opened to Murdoc wearing only a sailor's cap, a tight pair of underwear that tugged at his hips, and his golden cross that hung upside-down on his hairy chest. In his scowling mouth was a small wooden pipe and a bitter expression was written in the wrinkles on his forehead.

Unconcerned by this appearance, Stuart twiddled his fingers and looked the man in the eyes.

"I wos wantin' to talk to yew 'bout the company tha' showed up yesterday."

"What about it," he replied nonchalantly.

Stuart fidgeted in distaste as he looked about the junk that crowded the narrow hallway around him.

"Well…Noods and Russ have been gone fo' years… I fought it'd be kinda nice to welcome them back wif a bonfiah and sum drinks to pass 'round tonight… Like a reunion and birthday recognition night… y'know," 2D stammered.

Murdoc just shrugged and opened the door wider, welcoming the bluenette man into his clustered and disorganized bedroom.

Like his own room, 2D spotted several cardboard boxes filled with random junk that seemed almost useless. There were globes, broken pencils, torn up surf boards and more that littered the floor of his room and lying at the far end of the room was a messy bed with the covers ripped off to the side and the pillows thrown to the floor with colorful stains covering their cases.

"A party eh? Well…," the green man began in a considerate tone.

2D just stood at the entrance, silent and desperate for his answer; he'd thought long and hard about this idea for the majority of the morning after he'd left Noodle to herself in his room to do whatever women did in the mornings. Although he'd appreciate all of his time to be with her, he never forgot what the definition of "space" meant: his ex-girlfriend, Paula Cracker, had taught him this when he'd first began to date her.

That was almost a decade ago, when he'd heard from Russel that she was having an affair with Murdoc in the Kong Studios bathroom. But, this being in the past, he shoved these memories away and stared at the pacing man before him.

"…I don't see any problem with it. Just remember, if you get drunk off your ass, be sure to heave over the side of the island. I don't need to clean up after your unnecessary 'deposits'… where are you getting the booze, Faceache?"

"Yew o' course!"

Murdoc got very stiff then before he relaxed and began to pace again, flicking his gaze from the floorboards to 2D's curious expression. After a few minutes of mulling over his thoughts, Murdoc had stopped and turned away, taking the pipe from his mouth and balling his other hand into a fist before grumbling over his shoulder angrily, "fine. Just leave some whiskey in the storage so I won't have to ship in a fuck-ton of alcohol back to the island. I'm not doing this for YOU, Faceache. I'm doing it 'cause I haven't attended a party ever since we evacuated England and although I don't care for legal restrictions, it's about time for Noodle to get a taste for alcohol."

He cackled lowly, bringing the old pipe back to his lips and added, "Noods gettin' drunk. That'll be a sight."

2D ignored these musings and he smiled, thankful for Murdoc's approval.

There was so much to be done; 2D hurried out of the room and scurried back to the elevator, taking him to his thoughts, excited about his special surprise for the belated welcome-party.

* * *

(Noodle's POV)

A bored-looking Asian woman roamed the lower portion of the large land mass, abiding by the favor that 2D had asked for: to stay indoors for the majority of the day until he came back to dismiss her of her post.

Grumbling out a scowl of irritation, Noodle looked about the Boiler Room where she'd been taken earlier yesterday. Murdoc had requested to speak with her, only adding to the increasing bitterness she'd already felt toward him when she figured that he'd kidnapped 2D against his will. The bastard was selfish enough as it was- the fact that he replaced her own existence so soon with a droid copy only infuriated her more.

She bit back an angry curse and glared at the man who was banging at the pipes on the far wall ahead of her.

The mechanic at work didn't seem to progress to anything, seeing that his only tool was a frying pan and his large, pudgy hands that grappled with the dented iron.

She'd been waiting almost the whole afternoon for Stuart to finish whatever he was doing so she could get some fresh air and someone other than Murdoc-san to talk to. _The sun must've pushed down and had already begun to set; this waiting is exhausting and is beginning to drive me mad._

Noodle ground her teeth together and took herself back to the elevator, tired of the useless banging sounds that came from the un-experienced mechanic, and took herself back to Stuarts bedroom. There, she'd be able to contain herself and strum a few chords on her guitar to keep her at bay until 2D finally came to free her of the imprisonment in the lower chambers of the landfill.

Keeping her head down, Noodle stared at her feet and waited patiently for the lift to bring her down the shaft and into 2D's bedroom. Once the metallic doors had opened, she kept her face downcast but quickly regretted it when she bumped into something and fell back in surprise. But her landing did not follow up, seeing to long arms circle around her and lift her back on her feet hearing the sound of 2D's voice ring out in alarm.

"Oi, Noods! Sorreh 'bout thah, Love! I wos jus' lookin' for yew."

Dazed, Noodle looked up to find Stuart's face only inches from hers and her lips formed a thin line on her face, willing away the small bit of heat that rose to her cheeks. She placed her feet firmly on the ground, and stood up, taking a step back and almost backing into the elevator doors, embarrassed at the seemingly tight space between her and the startled man.

His own attire was not completely modest, for all he wore was a pair of jeans that hung loosely on his hips and a pair of converse sneakers. He lacked a shirt, flaunting off the small dents of his ribcage and the tattoo on his top-left shoulder, reading, "K.F.C".

"Oh, well I've just…," she sputtered out anxiously, flicking her eyes from 2D's dark indentions on his face to his lips and down to his collarbone, "I-I've just been wandering the rooms down here. Nothing much to see other than your room and the Boiler Room which is annoying with all the loud banging. I don't see how you can get much sleep with that idiot messing with the pipes…"

Noodle rambled into silence, studying the small stubble on 2D's chin before dragging her attention to his eyes.

"Well, Noods, I fink it's 'bout time yew come upstairs wif me. I've got somethin' to show yew…," Stuarts face lit up with a small smile and he offered his abnormally large hand to the woman who took it and turned around. The elevator was opened again and they were taken to the surface.

As soon as the entrance was opened up and the scent of salt-water washed over her, she inhaled, and opened her eyes to see Christmas lights coiled around the metal stairway that led down to the plastic flooring below.

The glow of the electric bulbs lit up the large island, the little strings of lights wrapped around the trees out on the peninsulas of the island, on the small, lifeless shacks that grouped below the stairs, and farther past areas that she could not see.

She looked over to see 2D biting his lip and looking out over the edge, to the waves. He brought her down and they walked along the shoreline, Noodle admiring the glow of colors reflecting off the dark water and on the pink ground. The stars had just begun to shine above them and the sun's setting colors left the horizon in purples and a small hue of pink, giving their shadows a replica of the two, hand-in-hand and strolling the beach towards the docking platforms.

A shudder of warmth passed through her when 2D rubbed his hand over hers in a comforting gesture and she was confused as to why he set all this up. But she did not speak, as she saw that they were nearing a large bonfire that set away from the docks and illuminated the large face of Russel and the silhouette of Murdoc slouched on a log near the fire.

As they edged closer to the set, she noticed a string of Japanese paper lanterns connected between the trees that loomed over them, parallel to each other, between the bonfire that crackled before them.

Once they were within a close distance, 2D murmured, "well, Love, seeing that yew've been gone for most of this time… I figured it'd be nice to celebrate your returns wif a party. An'…"

Stuart nodded to Murdoc who had tossed a bottle in their direction, 2D catching it with ease. He raised the glass in his hand, shrugging before he continued, "since you've gotten older…I figured we could celebrate bof of your birthdays thah we missed…"

Noodle gawked at the sight before her while 2D waved a hand towards Russel who nodded his head back in a thankful gesture. Murdoc, too, took a swig of whatever alcohol he held in his hands and slurred out, "Happy Belated Birfday…"

2D, however, said nothing after that, only offering her the bottle and allowing a half-smile to crawl onto his face. The fire, the lights, the people, the mood, it all seemed to wash away her irritation that throbbed in her head only minutes before- a warmth swelling inside of her and a sorrow she hadn't allowed herself to feel for years. She'd been welcomed back so warmly and kindly, it brought about the hollow tear inside of her chest to be filled. It was a cut that was being clean and cared for- that sting she'd held off to ignore had come back and began to heal her. She knew this was where her home truly belonged.

* * *

(Author's Note: )

I think I have a few more chapters to go; so no; this isn't the end of my wrath yet! Angst and truth has yet to be revealed! Violence has yet to occur! I hope you enjoy this and the next chapter that is soon to come.

Please review. That's all I ask of you. Critique it- like, seriously. Let me know what you like or don't and I'll see how and if I have the power to fix it. Am I making the characters out of proportion? Am I having too many grammatical errors? Is it too bland? Let me know. I need feedback guys!

I don't own Gorillaz, guys…

Thanks for tagging along. It means a lot.


	13. Chapter 13

(2D's POV)

Stuart led Noodle to the large wooden logs that surrounded the fire, passing her the large bottle of whiskey to the woman before heading off to the cart that sat a few feet away from the logs. He hoped that Jack Daniel's whiskey was a suitable first drink for the woman, but he figured she'd need a cup and he'd appreciate some alcohol of his own to celebrate with the group.

His eyes skimmed over the vast selection of bottles, picking out some rum, several packs of beer, another large bottle of whiskey and vodka shots.

2D reached for the beer, popping the cap before grabbing two empty shot glasses to give to Noodle and one for himself. His face grimaced at the sound of Murdoc's slurred grumbling.

"Noodle, I'm glad to see you're alive now that you're back. We missed having both of you guys around; hell, Faceache here was destroyed when he figured you died…," he belched and took another swig from his bottle, "Drink something, for Christ sake! Loosen up!"

Stuart turned to see Murdoc flailing his own large bottle of whiskey in the air, pouring some of it on himself in the act. "Augh fuck…"

Noodle was simply staring the drunken man down, her eyes rolling at Mud's alcoholic shower. She looked down, her back to 2D, inspecting the bottle in her hands before looking over to Russel who was eyeing the bassist with an entertained spark in his eyes.

Once 2D had made his way back to Noodle, he sat down and joined her before the flickering flames that stretched into the darkening sky. He filled the shot for her and set the bottle down, picking up his own glass and filling it for himself. As quickly as he sat down moments before, he stood up and bellowed out, "I'd like to make a toast…for Russewl."

The large man in the sea had a shocked look, but he stayed quiet, listening to 2D's speech.

"In the years thah you've been gone, I know thah your ol' frien', Del, wos taken from yew. You've pushed through an' you've surpassed the mourning of ih all… being haunted by things nobodeh could imagine… I'd like to dedicate this toast to yew for coming back, despite wot happened. To add to this mess, I'd like to wish your five years of absence to have been great birthdays and may many more come to yew in the future. Welcome home, Russewl."

"To Russewl," 2D said finally, the others repeating his words.

2D lifted his filled glass in the air, everyone following up with their own glasses, shooting down the alcohol and letting the fire scorch their throats. Beside him, Noodle coughed down her drink and he could see her cheeks flush from the heat.

2D filled her glass and his own once again, raising his arm in the air and continued, "I've anothah toast to make! This time, it's for Noods here…"

Stuart looked down to the woman who was looking up at him, her eyes glistening from the lights surrounding the site and her hair shone black in the darkness that pooled above.

"After I heard that you'd been dead, I knew some part of me had disappeared. You were my go-to-gal shipped in a Fed-Ex box to our studio many years ago, and you became a part of the band. Not only were yew my band-mate, but yew were my best friend who made everythin' jus' a lil' brighter. We've all missed havin' yew 'round to keep us whole, and we sure as hell don' wanna have yew leave us again… As for the years that've passed, I'd like to wish thah your birthdays were at least tolerable with all the chaos thah's happened. And may your future years to come be worf ev'ry minute yew spend. To Noodle."

"To Noodle," their voices rang out over the crackling of the fire and the waves hitting the shore.

They took another shot, the heat rising in their throats and warming their bodies. This time, however, Noodle seemed to keep down the booze and smiled at 2D who sat beside the woman and set down the small cup.

2D blinked hard at the fire, watching the flames lick at the wood that was feeding the fire. His head began to fog up a little bit and he steadied himself on the log seat. It had been a long time since he had the chance to drink due to Murdoc keeping him away from any form of alcohol. It was always stashed within his bedroom or some place that the cyborg Noodle was kept to guard. The two shots he'd taken had made his breath hot and made his head swirl in a daze.

"Thank's 'D… yeah, Del was exorcised from me when I left for the Americas. Too much bullshit with all the ghosts and demons- I didn't want him to leave. I just wanted the other's to go…," Russel sighed before he pinched the bottle of vodka in-between his fingers and chugged it.

"Demons? I get that everyday, I don' see what your problem is…," Murdoc spoke after he hiccupped.

Russel and Murdoc quibbled between themselves, talking about what happened in the Americas and babbling on about horrifying paranormals. 2D was glad he didn't have to talk much more, just Noodle and himself enjoying the warmth of the fire and the stars that began to show brighter against the nighttime skies.

"Toochie…"

Stuart turned his head toward her voice, but kept his eyes on her feet, listening intently for her voice.

"I don't know what to say; I'm honored to be given a party for returning, but I didn't expect something like this… Not a gorgeous fire under the stars and lights surrounding us… It's very, very kind of you…"

A large, goofy grin spread across his face when he drunk from his beer bottle, resting his elbows on his boney knees and letting his arms slack between his legs, tracing the rim of the glass. His eyes dragged up to Noodle's, peering into her faded jade ones and he spoke quietly, "only for yew, Love. I figured it'd be nice to dedicate a night to welcome yew guys back to the band. Especially since you've been gone all these years…."

The alcohol was beginning to dehydrate him, longing for another drink to quench his thirst. He continued to down the bottle and before he knew it, his eyes grew cross and his vision was starting to wobble.

"Nooodal Love… I thought you'd been dead awl these years…My sweet, sweet Nooodallll...," 2D dragged on.

His thoughts, although foggy and jumbled, traced back to his dream-state, to when he'd visualized his nightmares to be real. The night when he acted out El Manana, to when Noodle morphed into the droid copy that Murdoc had created, to when he was eaten by the whale or when that gas-masked man had appeared at his bedside window. Recalling these dreams kept him in silence, afraid to speak of them, for if he did, he'd believe they'd drop in and rampage his current reality.

Frowning now, 2D dropped the empty bottle on the ground and shoved it with his foot, farthest away from Noodle and himself. His mind was beginning to clog and unclog, prying at the edges of his eye-sockets and throbbing in his head. He was so thirsty…

* * *

(Noodle's POV)

Stuart picked himself up, staggering as he tried to get a hold of his footing before he walked easily toward the cart again, grabbing three more beers to share with Noodle.

Already the few shots were beginning to make her throat catch on fire and warm her body. She'd never really given thought to drinking, nor had she'd thought about the consequences that it brought along, like the hangovers and poisonings, for she was used to it when she was still in the band with Murdoc getting shit-faced and intoxicated almost every night.

She eyed her empty glass in her hands, letting the heat scorch her lungs, but she shivered from the bitter taste and questioned the reason why anyone would consider drinking this on a regular basis. It was nasty and down-right inconvenient for anyone who had too much of it.

She flicked her eyes over to watch Murdoc drag on about how he began to worship Satan in his late teens to mid-twenties, mentioning something about how demons are normal to him anyway. This, infuriating as it was, brought back the memory of him mentioning his bargain with the gas-masked demon who was hunting them down this very second. He was out on the prowl, looking for any clues to find their whereabouts, seeking soft spots to attack to make Muds crumble and give in to fulfill his part of the deal.

Still, the drunken bassist waved her phony death away, solving her absence with a mechanical clone that did both her own instruments and Russel's since he was gone temporarily as well. It had no soul; it had no opinion or argument; it only carried out as commanded to do, whether that was to fire on target or follow simple tasks ordered from Murdoc's lazy arse.

Noodle's thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock in the shoulder, hearing a sloshing sound beside her and she looked over to see 2D handing her a beer. She gratefully accepted his offer, but set it down beside her foot, saving it for later if she really wanted to succumb to the mind-numbing pleasure of drunken stupors and slurs.

"You've no idea how hard it's been wifout yew hea'… Sweet Love, when yew were gone, I only ha' Muds to look ou' fo' me. All he's ever done is hide in 'is secret room, working on our new album an' drone on about how I'm a dullard he never intended on keeping in the ban'… but he doesn't say mo' since I'm all he's got…Since we're gonna die sooner or latah from whatever was tryin' to kill yew…"

2D slouched beside her on the log, frowning and drinking from his brown bottle while keeping his eyes on the fire. He seemed lost, as if the words he'd said were telling a secret; as if he was telling her a story that he really didn't intend that anyone hear.

"I thought it was 'bout to kill me, Noods, when I heard the island crash. Your body wasn't evah found… and we assumed yew were dead…," 2D choked on his words and he sniffled, wiping something off his face. "I didn't know what to do since Russewl wasn't wif us anymo', you were dead, and Muds didn't seem to care since he'd started makin' that damn electric piece of shit… I didn't know what to do… Then Muds shipped me here….And that goddamn whale has been watchin' me…"

His lips quivered and he coughed, downing another swallow of his beer and he stayed silent for a few moments before he continued on in a trembling voice, "Mud's silence and these dreams are all I've had for the past five years. Yew kep' comin' back and I swear I fought every time I awoke, yew were goin' to be the end of me… You've changed, Noods…"

2D was quickly finishing off his bottle and it hadn't even been a whole five minutes since he'd returned with some drinks. Noodle gave a worried look to the man, but she quickly pushed this aside when she spotted out tears streaming down the sides of his face.

"You've really grown up. Beau'iful Noodle… I swore I wouldn't let ma'self feel something like tha'…. I swore that I had to push it away… but ever since you died… ever since El Manana…"

2D began to silently sob, his face in his hands and the bottle, empty, dropped to the ground beside him.

Shocked, Noodle shimmied closer to him, wrapping her small arms around his torso and feeling his body heave from the deep breaths he took. She was both confused and heartbroken to see Stuart so broken like this, but he continued one last time, taking his head from his hands and letting his swollen eyes catch her own in an exhausted, silent plea.

"I didn't want to love you like this… I didn't want to give in … I cun' let him hurt you again… won't let this happen to us now…"

* * *

(Author's Note)

2D is drunk. Great.

What now?

I don't have much to say. I hope you like it so far. I'll consider revising a lot in the previous chapters, fixing obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes.

Review, critique, whatever you'd like to call it. I really, REALLY appreciate your feedback. You've no idea how helpful it all is.

I don't own Gorillaz.

(PS: To those of you who are tagging along with my story and have given me props to my work so far, you are my dreams. You've helped me fulfill what I thought I could not. You make it so much better as a young writer in my first years of fanfiction and story-writing and I love you all dearly for that. Thank you.)

'Till next chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

(Noodle's POV)

The young Asian sat there, holding 2D's trembling body, speechless at what he was saying. In his drunken secrets, he just told her of hidden feelings that she wasn't sure she could handle herself.

Noodle bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at the man but did not let go of him, for he continued to speak. His words were barely audible, since his speech was meshed in with slurs and hiccupping that she couldn't figure was from his crying or from the amount of drinks he'd already had in the few minutes they'd been sitting there.

"Love… Wot's love without hope you'd still be alive?"

Adjusting her eyes to the firelight, she glanced over to the shadow of Murdoc who held his head in between his legs, grumbling something she couldn't hear. His greasy black bowl cut lay askew on his head and his shoulders were slacked with his hands resting on the sides of his feet; he appeared to be muttering to himself crude and unkind things about the current party and the conversation he had with Russel.

Digressing from the grumbling man, she took her view back to 2D who began to whisper about frightening robots and whales and about Murdoc imprisoning him on the island with nowhere to go and no hope. "No hope… Could be a dream…"

Curling her lips from the bitter taste in her mouth, she bent down and pushed the hair out of Stuart's face, wiping away the small beads of sweat that grouped at his hairline.

"Stuart Pot, listen to me damn well, I'm here. This is reality. If you hadn't drunk those beers, you'd know this," Noodle frowned but wiped it off her face, softening her tone to a kindly one.

"2D-san… You're drunk. Nothing is going to hurt you. I'm sure what you've said is probably just the booze kicking in and making you say things-."

"Bu' I'm not! It's true! I love yew Noodle and I've wanted to tell yew fo' the longest time… I never meant to let it happen… I never meant to let it turn into somefink' like this… I don't want to lose you Noodle Love…"

Noodle just huffed out an irritated groan that she could only hear, tired of listening to 2D's drunken mess that only left her nervous to hear more. If Stuart was right about all he was saying, it would leave her in a less than broken down form that she didn't want to turn back to. She'd only just began to fix herself mentally after the years of damage that she was fleeing from, and the man who attempted her death was still searching for her and the band. That stress was enough and knowing Stuarts forbidden love to her was topping off her jar of issues.

Sure, she felt a few pinpricks of the same feelings when she held him the night before, when he tickled her that morning, when she saw him for the first time since El Manana, but that couldn't mean she was in love with him, right?

_I hate it when men get drunk. Murdoc was drunk almost every night we were on tour for our previous albums and the results were negative impacts that ended in broken furniture, bruises on 2D or a woman that was introduced to Murdoc's room. I hated his vulgarity and all of the crap that came with his shit-faced intoxications. I didn't think I'd ever see 2D become the same…besides, by the time he wakes up with a hangover tomorrow morning, he'll have forgotten all about it, even his word on the feelings he has for me._

Noodle felt her throat tighten when she reminisced on her past with the blue-haired man. She'd come to him when she had troubles with her dreams or when she needed help with learning English. She was so young and had considered him a brother, but now with the tables turned, he'd proclaimed a much more serious secret.

Love, as she knew the word, was not something to be taken lightly. She grew with the word meaning commitment and the giving of oneself to care for another, despite their own needs. Did 2D relate the word to that…?

She saw 2D reach for another bottle of beer but she simply grabbed his hand with the one that was previously on his back, entwining her fingers with his and using her other hand to remove the bottle and put it beside her with her own untouched beer that was given to her earlier.

"Oi, give ih' back…," 2D pouted with tears picking at the edge of his eyes.

"No, Toochie. You're going to get yourself a migraine if you keep it up."

Stuart frowned, pushing his eyebrows together and wrinkling his nose, grumbling out something but in the mouthful of words, his only audible complaint she could hear was, "don't know why yew have to," 2D hiccupped, "to do thah. I'm fine. Swell…"

2D huffed out an angry grunt but hiccupped again, wincing before he bent over and propped his temple on the palm of his hand, his elbow set on his knee. His eyes traveled to her hand which tightly squeezed his own and his grimace vanished almost immediately.

"I'm glad yew like the surprise, Noods…," he said quietly.

Noodle watched his face as he massaged his temple, squinting his eyes and holding back the relentless hiccups in his closed mouth.

"The Christmas lights make everyfink bettah. And the stars are out too…," Stu looked up into the sky, squeezing her hand back and rubbing his shaky thumb over the surface of Noodle's smooth skin.

Noodle heard 2D chuckle and when she looked over, she saw him stare at Murdoc who's slouching position had relaxed enough to make him fall forward and tumble to the ground in a massive thud. The green-skinned lump grunted out quietly, not even an attempt to move into a more comfortable position until moments later when Russel's large hand reached out and picked Murdoc into his palm.

"Damn…I thought Muds could hold his liquor better, but this proves differently…," the large African American man bellowed out a laugh and he waded through the water, cupping the unconscious man and taking him away from the lighted area.

2D continued laughing at the sight of Murdoc who'd passed out, holding his ribcage and wincing slightly.

"Thah bastard's nevah done thah after drinkin'… thah wos hilarious!"

2D's manic, toothless grin shone on his face and soon he began to calm himself down, still chuckling a little when he took his sights to the Christmas lights that were strewn around the fire.

Noodle giggled a little herself when she saw him crumpled up on the ground, groaning. It was nice to see him get a taste of his own medicine, alcohol poisoning. He'd hurt everyone, and now it was his turn to hurt and whether that was mental or not, a hangover was enough to do the job.

Noodle shifted her thoughts when she realized that it was only her and 2D that were on the beach now with the fire dying down and the embers glowing orange and crimson in the ashes before them. The bonfire wasn't that large when she'd gotten there, but she'd guessed that within the time that she'd spend there, it had been almost an hour. The silence stayed that way for a few more minutes and it was obvious to them that Russel wasn't coming back to join them again.

Noodle let go of 2D's hand and took the unopened beer bottles back to the cart with the other alcohol, giving herself some time to stretch her legs out and keep herself busy in the awkward silence that clogged the air between them.

"D'yew remembah when you was littol bittey, probably the first Christmas yew spent wif the band… yew came knockin' at my door in a very large t-shirt and your little bunny slippahs sayin' 'Toochie; Santa!'"

2D sniffled, smiling at the memory.

"Yew burst into my room, wakin' me up about how Santa came and you'd get me to wake the others. I'm surprised I wasn't strangled by Muds when I woke him so early…And yew sat in my lap when you opened your gifts. They weren't special or anyfink… but yew enjoyed sticking the bows in my hair and on Russewl's big bald head. Yew didn't do it to Muds, though. Just me and Russewl; your big, life-sized Christmas presents."

Noodle stood, gaping at the blue-haired man, blinking furiously and thinking back to the first year in the band. It was hard enough as it was, remembering when she'd been on Windmill Island, but she could barely recall her first holiday with them.

Warmed by the memory, Noodle found the iron rod that sat by the fire and began to prod at the dying fire; tiny wisps of flame rising to the sky above.

"Hai."

"D'yew, d'yew remembah that time when yew saw Russewl's friend, Del, for the first time and scared the livin' shit outta yew… You came to me, cryin' your eyes out at Kong Studios and I hugged and explained to you about how he wasn't gonna hurt nobody… Precious littol Noodle…"

A smile crept onto her face and he continued on with his memories of her until his mind began to sputter out the more darker ones.

"I remembah when yew fled to the island… Yew refused to come wif us into Feel Good Inc. I wouldn't blame yah; it's hell when all you've got is confinement in a sky needle with nowhere to run and nobody to talk to… Yew disappeared thah day…"

At this point, 2D had slid down onto the ground, sitting in the fetal position and frowning at the glowing coals in the fire, his eyes glazing over and looking off into the distance.

"'Soon as I heard you left… I had no reason to stay in the band. Russ' wos gone, yew were 'dead' and Mud's was drunk as a fish wif ambitions I didn't wun' to be a part of. But he found me anyway…Shipped to this goddamn hole in the middle of god-knows where! Yew, sweet Noodle were gone! My hopes in lettin' yew know how I felt were gone, my interests in fleeing were gone, my respect for Muds gone, everything! GONE!"

"I saw thah island falling from the clouds… Fire and smoke wos all thah came from the sky other than the plummeting windmill and helicopters thah followed. I've never felt mo' useless an' empty when Muds came back wif the news."

"Yew kept coming for me when I dreamed. Every night, yew would visit me and I'd wake up, as empty as the day you'd gone. Yew terrified me. Muds terrified me when he woke me from the night terrors. He's slap me up the side of the head callin me a 'pansy' and to walk ih off. Yew can't walk thah off! I need to teach him a-."

2D shut his mouth and grimaced before he got on all fours and crawled to the nearest shoreline, his face green and he began to heave slightly.

Sighing, Noodle dropped the iron rod and ran over to 2D, pulling his body closer to the edge and seconds later, she felt his body convulse under her hand and the putrid smell of vomit rose in the air around them.

"Oh Toochie…it's going to be alright," she said in between his purges. She rubbed his back comfortingly and when he was done, he wiped his mouth and shuddered violently before he backed away slowly, swaying on his knees. Predicting what was going to happen, Noodle took his torso and felt him fall limp onto her lap.

Noodle searched his face but only heard the sound of rhythmic, rasping breaths showing he was asleep.

She pushed the blue locks of hair out from his face and brushed her fingers along his clammy cheeks, blinking away the tears that pooled at the corners of her eyes, threatening to cascade to her chin.

"I'm so sorry, Toochie…"

* * *

(Author's Note)

Sad chapter.

I tried adding one or two funny moments in here, but it ended up to be morbid and completely depressing… Sorry guys! And did Noodle not react like you'd think she should've? Well, she knew he was drunk. So… she's being defensive for her emotions.

Review please. I'd like that a lot.

I don't own Gorillaz.


	15. Chapter 15

Stuart flipped his heavy eyelids open to find himself in disoriented fuzz. He picked out blurry colors that flickered into faded sepia.

He screwed his eyes and blinked hard, bringing detail to the room that he awoke in. He was back in Kong Studios, curled up in his bed while snow drifted outside his bedroom window, piling at the sill. Soft gusts of wind knocked against the glass but he could tell it was the beginnings of dawn, the clouds growing steadily lighter.

A soft knock at his door aroused his thoughts and he looked over; before he could heave off his large comforter, the door was unlatched and a small girl bounded toward his mattress.

"Toochie! Santa!"

Noodle shifted on her feet, anxious to rouse the tired man from his bed and lead her to the den downstairs.

2D smiled at her and tossed his feet over the edge of the bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and yawning loudly, "Noods, ih's pretty early to wake up for Christmas…"

_What…? This…This is me eleven years ago… Why can't I move…?_

2D checked the alarm clock on his bedside table, taking a glimpse at the blinking blocky letters.

6:48 AM

He blinked softly at Noodle, noting that she was wearing one of Russel's red t-shirts that almost dragged on the floor, but was short enough to let her small bunny slippers peek out from the cloth. Pushing a smile up the side of his face, he quietly said, "I dun' know Noods… Muds will be cranky…"

Stifling another yawn, 2D rubbed the back of his neck and looked down to his plaid pajama bottoms. _Is this a memory…? I can't hear my thoughts, so this will be interesting…_

He noticed that his body was a little fuller, not so skeletal and tight over his bones. It showed how young he was compared to his current body and it surprised 2D how much he'd changed over the years.

As soon as he began to contemplate on his body, his eye snapped up and was brought to his feet, a spike of icy chill coursing through his feet and up his ankles.

"Jeez, ih's so cold…"

2D pulled on an old hoodie that was lying on the floor some ways away and he took Noodle's hand, leading her through the corridors of Kong until they reached the first door. Noodle tapped on the door and moments later a loud grunt sounded from the other side.

"Russel-san!"

The two waited patiently at the door and from what it seemed, Noodle could barely contain her excitement. It wasn't long until several muffled thumps and another grunt rang out before the door creaked open to a large, black man who stood in the shadow of his room, his eyes flicking between 2D and the fidgety girl in his grasp.

"What's up Baby Girl? It's kind of early, dontcha think?"

"Russel-san, Santa! Pre-sents," Noodle's questioning eyes looked up the blue-haired man who approved of her newly-learned English with a nod and a smile.

The child looked back to the man who groaned once more, returning to his room and adjusted his nightcap that added to his striped long-sleeved shirt and flannel pants. He took her other hand and the three were led to the last room, passing through another set of corridors.

The group stopped a few feet away, 2D pushing ahead and knocking against the door. Silence.

He knocked again, a little harder before he heard a loud grumble and a curse, dismissing 2D away from his bedroom.

He stood there and knocked again, adding, "Muds, Noodle is up to open presents."

"Go away! It's too damn early! Wake me up in five hours!"

2D rapped on the door until an angry Murdoc opened the door, glaring at the man with dark circles rimming his eyes.

"I said, wake me up in five hours."

"Muds, c'mon. This is her first Christmas wif us, and Russewl is already up wif us. I'm sure she'd really love ih if you were there too. I know ih's early… And I know yew are probably tired from working on the album last night, but do it for Noods…"

Murdoc stood there, crows feet digging in between his furrowed brows before he hissed in submission, glaring daggers at 2D before storming back into his room and begrudgingly clothing himself into an appropriate pair of sweats and a maroon bathrobe.

The band accompanied the excited Noodle down to the living room after stuffing themselves into the cramped elevator and Noodle ran to the lit Christmas tree over in the far corner of the room staring in awe at the lights and the assortment of ornaments and shiny tinsel.

Giddy with happiness, the girl ran about the tree, examining the colors and the beauty of it all before waiting patiently for the others to gather around and settle themselves on the stained carpet below them.

Russel sorted through the small collection of presents, distributing them out to everyone until they all had three presents of their own.

Noodle, straying away from the comfort of Russel and the grumpiness of Murdoc, dragged herself to Stuart and stood before him, pursing her thin lips. She smiled quickly and before 2D could remember what happened next, her body collapsed onto his lap and shimmied herself into the comfortable crook of his abdomen.

2D smiled widely and tickled her ribcage for a moment, getting a harmony of giggles and thrashing in response. After he stopped his wrath, the child took a deep breath and grabbed her first package.

Her small fingers tore away at the festive packaging and it was soon revealed to be a Fed-Ex box with a Japanese shipping notice on the top. Noodle looked up questioningly, tapping at the packaging tape that she didn't even try to mess with, for it seemed that she knew even with her attempts to open the present, she wouldn't get far and would only be frustrated with the miniscule progress. 2D looked up to Murdoc, who pushed himself off the floor and returned with a pocket knife, passing it to Stuart who began to work on the cardboard mail.

After a few moments of anxious waiting, when 2D had removed the harm of the knife away, Noodle dug into the box, sending a spray of packaging peanuts into the room and on his lap. She pulled out another plastic package and inside, she could see a red and pink, silken kimono with Asian floral designs lining the ribbon of the dress. She squealed happily and tore it open, flaunting off the dress and laughing happily.

"I figured it would fit you, and since you're from Japan, I thought you'd like to have one of your own, Noodle-Girl," Russel said, happy to see that she was enjoying his gift.

"Arigatō, Russel-san," she bowed her head toward him, her eyes glistening happily from the light of the Christmas tree.

She sat again, folding the dress neatly before setting it down on the plastic packaging and whipping out her second present. It was smaller, but when she shook it, there seemed to be several things wrapped inside.

Following the same procedure, she ripped the paper from the box but did not need the help of 2D cutting away tape, for it was a simple flap that she could open independently.

She peered inside and pulled out two sets of guitar strings, two boxes of pockey-one being chocolate, the other being strawberry- and a photograph of the band. Russel held Noodle on his shoulders while Stuart was on Russel's left, smiling and reaching behind him to place the butt of a cigarette into Murdoc's hair. Muds was ignorant enough to not notice, for he had his arms crossed, focusing on the camera with his tongue lolling out of his smiling mouth. In the corner was their logo and on the back of the photo was written, "9/24/01". "Merry Christmas, Noods."

"Ehh, it's not much, but I figured you needed a new set of chords and you go on about this stuff called "Pockey"… And I figured, why not give you a memory of you first joinin' Gorillaz, yeah? You won't find another band like this one," Murdoc grumbled out, a side smile growing when he saw Noodle smiling at his gift for her.

"Pockey! Arigatō Murdoc-san!" She bowed to him and she continued on to her third and final present, the one from 2D.

She took this present, ripping away the wrapping and tossing the bow to the side, and she tilted her head all the way back, opening her mouth slightly and tapping the box to show Stuart that she needed help with the stubborn tape again. He did his magic, cutting away the material and letting her dig into the bland, cardboard box.

More packaging peanuts were sprayed onto the carpet and she pulled out a brand new radio helmet, complete with the antennas that could adjust in length, but were wireless for her device. She tilted her head to the side, inspecting the headgear.

"Face me, Noods. I'll help you put it on."

She did as she was told, kneeling before him and she watched curiously as he extended the wires on the earmuffs. He fitted it onto her head, thankful that it fit perfectly- not too snug, and not too loose.

Noodle rolled her head around letting the lightweight of the helm fit to her balance and she grinned. "I saw one of these and I fought thah since yew didn't have your own headphones, these would play the radio as well as music from your I-pod. Like ih?"

The girl nodded, bouncing her head from and wobbling it from side to side, getting a feel for the hat before she took it off and said thankfully, "Head-phones! Arigatō Toochie-kun!"

The tape of his memories flickered and jumbled, fast forwarding to a few minutes later. Everyone had already opened their gifts and lounged around the decorated tree, the windows gradually growing lighter and lighter as the morning progressed.

The band had begun to discuss the album which was soon to be finished, and he had listened in on Russel's conversation with Murdoc, taking in the words about final touches and the album cover that was to be on their first album.

Noodle, the bundle that was previously on his lap, was ignoring this and was playing with the bows that she'd removed from her gifts, playing with the sticky side and placing one on her body.

She giggled and piped up, "Toochie!"

The girl ran over to him and stuck a large green bow into the un-kept bed of hair that sat atop his head. Smiling at the random act, he watched her run over and do the same to Russel, interrupting his conversation and sticking it onto his shiny bald head.

"Toochie and Russel-kun are pre-sents!"

Everyone laughed a little and even Murdoc let a small smile creep onto his exhausted face, surrounded by his new set of guitar strings, his new amplifier, and a new bottle of vodka. He seemed content with his new set of things, and the sweet gesture of bows on his band mates seemed to lighten his mood.

2D brought his attention back to Noodle who smiled widely at him, but a large static bump interrupted his memory, flickering the tapes of his mind in and out of the picture of Noodle. 2D blinked and felt another jolt distort his dreaming.

The memory began to dissolve, his reminiscing memory fading and leaving him in a pool of darkness.

_Noodle! Don't go! Don't leave me…_

Stuart fretted as a loud siren pierced his eardrums, wailing through his subconscious, accompanying a third quake that toppled his body off whatever he was lying upon.

His eyelids flew open, revealing his bedroom that was hidden below the painted landfill of Plastic Beach.

A dim light shown through the window, the curtains swaying and the sirens wailing ever still.

A loud thudding pounded in his head and ears, his vision swaying under the force that swelled in his head. He tried to yell out, but the ringing and the pinching in his head made him lower his voice and he coughed out a dry, "wot?"

His tongue was unbearably dry and the pain that swarmed the comfort of his head pricked and pulled behind his hollow eyesockets, swaying under his weight and staring at the jumble of pipes on his ceiling. Loud crashing sounded above his head, the silence halting and he heard muffled yelling in the above rooms, only barely. The island rocked slightly, the sound of water rushing outside of his window and the groaning of rusty metal reached to his ears, adding to the headache that pulsed in his temple.

Crying silently from the pain, he tried to sit himself up, pulling his sore body up to his mattress. The window, open and frighteningly welcoming, showed that of a whale swimming towards the island, it's eyes set on the man.

"Jus… a dream," 2D croaked, pushing at the throbbing temples on his head.

His queasy stomach threatened to spill his guts onto his bed sheets, but they did not, so instead, he grappled the railings on his bed to stabilize his swaying. His calloused fingers brushed a smooth plastic and he looked down to see his clown-faced mask that hung off the rail of his headboard.

Fumbling with his unresponsive hands, he managed to grasp the guise and tucked the string behind his ears, pulling it over his face and peering through the tiny holes that granted him sight.

He took his gaze one last time to the whale he'd spotted earlier to see a massive void enclosing on the window, large dents circling the walls of his room. A loud echo vibrated through the room and it wasn't long until he realized that he was staring into the throat of the beastly whale that was beginning to consume him.

* * *

(Author's Note)

Cliff Hanger!

Cute that he got to relive a memory that he'd brought up earlier.

Is this a dream now? IS IT A DREAM?!

You'll have to wait until next chapter.

I don't own Gorillaz…


	16. Chapter 16

(Noodle's POV)

When dawn had approached, the sun tainted the clouds in a murky grey and pink mixture; the low rumble of thunder hummed in the distance growing nearer to the shores of Plastic Beach.

Noodle had left 2D's room, deciding not to share his bed with him from the foul smell of alcohol that hung over the man. Although he still smelled like butterscotch and sugar, she'd had enough of drunken breath and squeamish feelings.

So, taking the elevator to Murdoc's hallway, she trudged to the bathroom but was instead, knocked into the wall from the floor rocking below her feet. Loud crashing sounded above her head and groaning metal squeaked throughout the home.

Noodle, being startled, looked around her before the sound of glass shattering in Murdoc's chambers ahead of her. Tripping over her hands and feet, she pulled herself up and ran to the door, "Murdoc?!"

The light at the end of the hall was no longer providing ample brightness; now it flashed to a glowing red and a loud siren began to wail in her ears.

_What's going on?!_

She raised her voice and burst through the door, "MURDOC-SAN!"

The room was unoccupied by the man and hundreds of shards of glass littered the floor in a mass of green and clear remnants. Outside another roll of thunder boomed and a cluster of helicopters whizzed past the view of the beach, their silhouettes outlined by a strike of lightning.

Images flashed in her mind as she remembered all too well, the mortifying memory of the island. Flashing. Fire. Jumping and dying. Fleeing for the past five years.

Now they'd come to ransack and steal her dreams of freedom away from her again, but this time, attacking the heart of her home. The monstrous demon had planned for all of the band to be exterminated under no circumstances. This was full-throttle warzone and she could tell from the cry of the sirens, from the buzz of the helicopter wings, from the explosion of fire upon the island and from the vibrations under her feet.

It was real and today they were under probation of a reckless and relentless murderer.

The sound of bullets spraying into the room made her crouch and roll back into the hallway to take cover as she'd done so many times before. Although she'd been confronted with these enemies before, it wasn't always easy to fend them off herself, especially with four of them instead of two.

Sucking in a breath, she looked to the emergency escape on the other side of the bathroom and ran up the steps to the library where she could get to the tip-top of the island.

Once she was settled up in the room, she looked through another mess of broken windows until she saw a dark crimson and grey cloud form over what seemed to be a ship on the horizon.

"MURDOC-SAN! ANSWER ME GOD-DAMMIT!"

Turning to the coat hanger besides the bookcase, she grabbed her feline mask and put it on, feeling a rush of security flood back to her. "KID, HELP ME WITH THIS!"

It was Murdoc responding from above, up on the roof of the home. She almost couldn't hear him from the loud sound of the blades of a helicopter flying past, but when she carefully made her way up to the top, she saw Murdoc with an AK-47 strapped over his chest.

Beside him, hiding below the protective railing was the identical robot version of herself, her provocative army costume tattered and her skin opened, showing the wiring beneath. "Initiate rocket launcher in 5. 4. 3…"

Her voice was set in a low, monotone drone and as she spoke, her jaws parted so widely, Noodle flinched and was surprised that the bone did not disconnect and break when the gun extended from the throat of the cyborg. It was peculiar, how well hidden all of the openings on her faux skin were all just openings for the weapons that hid within the compartments of her body.

The machinery finished its countdown and two projectiles shot into the humid air- fiery navigational death rockets targeted on the metal birds in the sky. Only one managed to hit, but it brought the mass crashing down towards the toxic sea below, smoke trailing behind.

"Where's the dullard?!"

Noodle whipped her attention back to the man who's eyes were both angry and frightened. She was taken aback, for she rarely saw the green man scared. In fact, he was so full of himself and his success, he barely had time to worry about miniscule matters; not that this was a small matter, but he rarely cared in general.

"He's asleep! How'd this guy find where we were," Noodle said, ducking and barrel-rolling to where the cyborg sat, avoiding the mass of bullets from the remaining 'copters.

"FOR THE LOVE OF SATAN, I DON'T KNOW! But we don't have much of a chance if we just sit here and die under their watch," Murdoc dodged the pellets, and spoke to the cyborg beside her, issuing a command so quickly, the real Noodle couldn't hear him at all. In response, the robot sucked in the gun that was in her mouth, replacing it with a retractable shotgun. He tossed it to the real Noodle who caught it, looking sideways at Murdoc before she headed back down the steps, out of the library and down the emergency exit, sliding down the rail of the stairs until she was at the entrance of the house.

She burst through the safety door, careful of her footing and dodging behind the thick shrubberies that sheltered her with cover. She crawled, prone on her stomach and snaking through the garden before she was introduced with the cliff-side of the beach. Noodle dared not to take the elevator, afraid of the electricity powering off from the attackers.

So instead, she let her feet fly, keeping the gun held low and her eyes on the open ground before her. The open patio held concrete and a few sets of umbrellas, chairs and tabled set up for shade, but she passed all these in a few sprints, taking her feet to the edge. Giving herself a few moments of consideration, she looked to the skies, seeing the helicopters focusing on Murdoc up high before she took her view below her, considering her reckless idea. Ignoring her conscience, she pulled her fingers to her lips, deafening the sound around her and screeching out, "RUSSEL-KUN! CATCH ME!"

She took a running jump and in seconds, she was weightless. A swirl of color and a skip of a heartbeat was all she could focus on, but just as she'd prayed for, a quick flash of dark skin pulled out below her and she fell into the soft cushion of a giant hand.

In the distance, she could hear cannons, explosions, and cries. The sky let out another crash of thunder followed by lightning and a soft sheet of rain that began to fall.

"Glad to see you're okay Baby-Girl," he set her down on the lower part of the beach and she took a quick bow of thanks before running off on the other side of the shore. Russel had followed but soon stopped to look down where his feet were and he managed to let out an angry holler.

Noodle flinched from the bellow and turned around to see the large man bend down and pull from the waves a large sperm whale. "NOT 'D YOU MOTHA'FUCKA."

The giant man then whipped the whale around his head in a circular motion, much like a cowboy would with a lasso, gaining speed until he flung it into the air, taking down another large helicopter that Noodle hadn't even noticed was beginning to gain on her.

It was then that she realized that the whale that Stuart had muttered nonsense about was a real and was a legit threat to the bothered man. Letting a wave of nausea flood over her, she did a double-take at the falling machinery and listened to the large splash a few hundred feet away from the thin woman.

"Toochie…stay safe…," Noodle murmured before she shook her head, clearing her thoughts and pushing away the nervous tears that threatened to fall at the edges of her green eyes.

She was so tired of this man, this demon trying to kill them. She was so tired of the empty promises that Murdoc made and all the gunfire and the running and the feeling of losing something dear to her, like her family.

The band was all she had and all she could really remember from her childhood since everything in Japan was really just a fuzz of orphanages and ignorant adults. She needed Murdoc, Russel and Stuart. It was all she had and hoped for in her dreams when she was gone. It was all that kept her going in hope that they were still in existence.

As far out as she could see, she saw a pirate ship. It's sails were faded, the wood was moldy and the smoke that hung over it resembled the black crimson that pulsed through her veins and pumped through her heart. Explosions sounded and large cannon balls smashed into the island, rocking it slightly and making large craters in the eroded pink plastic.

She braced herself, steadying her stance. Pulling the shotgun up, she used the sights and aimed at the nearest helicopter, branding holes into the door. She aimed and shot again, missing.

Sighing with aggravation, she sprinted farther on the beach and shot once more, hitting one of the propellers. It began to sink down to the waters below and soon, it was consumed in the greenish liquid.

Completely drenched in rainwater now, Noodle began to feel encumbered by the weighed clothes. Her legs began to chafe and her fingertips wrinkling. The grasp on her gun never loosened and her focus stayed sharp as she sprinted on the slick, plastic beaches, passing the docks and past the ashes of the bonfire.

"RUSSEL! WE'VE GOT TO GET RID OF THE," Noodle swayed under her feet and slipped, dropping her weapon and watching it skid toward the water. Another cannon had hid the island and she knew the landfill wasn't going to last for long.

But just as she thought this, several rockets shot from above her, on the mansion rooftop. The cyborg had begun shooting the rocket projectiles again and a few had caught the ship, setting it on fire and making it's passengers scream in terror. However, the screaming had ceased and the cloud that hung over the deck of the ship had faded into nothingness.

Scrambling to her feet, Noodle backed into the mid-section of the beach and leaned on the mass, letting it give shelter from the rainstorm. She wiped away the water that crawled down her face and flicked her hands and arms, doing the same. _Where'd he go?_

The ship out at sea was sinking slowly and the sails that once stood were now bright flames of yellow and crimson against the skies that cleared farther out.

Russel waded to where Noodle was and scrutinized the flaming boat with her until the majority of it was under the waves and in the dark, churning waters.

He offered his hand to her and she crawled along the slopes of his fingers and into his rough palm, letting him chaperone her to the entrance of the island, where she jumped off, waved to Russel and bowed again in sign of thanks.

She hurried into the pink landfill, listening to the pour of the rain and began to fret for the man who'd been sleeping off his alcohol poisoning and had his room attacked by the whale she saw was in Russel's huge hands only minutes earlier. Stuart may have still been asleep, but with all of the chaos and hits the island took, he might've awoken beforehand.

Glad to see that the electricity was still working fine, she hopped into the elevator and let it take her down to the lower compartments of the landfill, wary of the tiny space she was in and on edge from the sirens that still wailed in the house. Her mind was choppy and jumbled with the sight of her robot copy with guns coming from her throat, Murdoc being scared for the first time she's seen, the demon finding the island and the whale. Everything was a horrifying mess and their hideout had been discovered.

_I hope Stuart isn't a mess…_

The red light flashing in the elevator reminded her of the red-eyed gas-masked demon and she choked back a strangled scream as she realized...

_We are no longer safe anymore._

* * *

(Author's Note)

This was a rather odd chapter for me to write. I didn't put too much detail in every little thing and I feel I rushed a lot of it. But in the end, after rereading it, I think it's decent.

I like cliffhangers. Suspense will do you guys some good.

I hope you all liked it.

I don't know if I'll be adding more. Honestly. I might make a sequel? Or I might add a few more chapters in, but either way, I'm lost at what to do now.

Yes, this chapter was based on Gorillaz' music video, "Rhinestone Eyes".

I don't own Gorillaz.


	17. Chapter 17

(2D's POV)

Time seemed to drag on forever, the loud sirens coursing through his head and throbbing his permanent headache. Stuart, with his head on the window and his large, gangly hands tugging at his blue hair stared into the gray, discolored water with eyes bugging out and mouth, a thin line sewed on his face.

Only a single minute had passed when he was gazing into the throat of the monstrous whale that attempted to consume him and his room, but as quickly as he saw the darkness engulf his window, the whale was whipped away by a massive hand and the gray, murky water was back in view.

2D had stopped counting how many times he felt his life flash before his eyes, for that was far from the first time that happened.

Rather than the dark hollowness in his head, his eyes were white and afraid, his body paralyzed in fear and his past memories flashing through his head at light-speed.

Falling out of the sycamore tree when he was a boy, losing his hair and having it grow back blue.

Having his lunch money stolen when he was in elementary school and being bullied for his oddly-colored hair.

Smoking a cigarette for the first time with his small group of friends in highschool.

Getting his first, legit girlfriend, Paula Cracker.

The car crash that gave him his first eight-ball fracture as well as the second after Murdoc tried to impress random girls on the sidewalk.

Meeting Murdoc in the hospital, only moments after he awoke from his coma and being introduced to band-life.

The whole sha-bang after Murdoc had an affair with his girlfriend, causing her to leave and find a new guitarist who'd been shipped to them in a Fed-Ex box all the way from Japan. Meeting Russel and Noodle and writing music with them and being invited to interviews, parties, concerts and earning awards for their music. He remembered watching from the sky-needle… the windmill falling…Noodle disappearing…Russel leaving… himself being kidnapped and taken to the claustrophobic prison that he was cooped up in this very second.

He remembered the dreams. The nightmares. The smacks on the head to "suck it up, Dullard and let her go". The loneliness on the island and the abuse from the bassist who lived in the modern-styled housing above him.

2D's life flashed in mere seconds and he couldn't help but stare, empty into the belly of the giant fish. Even when the monster disappeared from sight, he just sat there, stiff and rigid from fear, confusion and hollow sorrow from the footage that reeled through his mind.

And so, he stayed like that; the repetitive noise ringing and crimson haze flashing in his prison cell- consistent thuds that made his bed shudder and vibrate beneath him.

His mind didn't even flicker to the woman who entered his room about five minutes later, the elevator squeaking open and a silent Noodle standing beside the oblivious man.

"Toochie?"

The man flinched and looked over to the young adult who was soaked from head to toe, but her new signature feline mask hid her face. Her hair flopped over the tip, between the white ears of the mask and water streamed down the purplish locks.

Noodle flipped the visage up and revealed her face which exposed narrowed, swollen eyes and eyebrows that were pushed together as if she was worried about something. A light frown traced her mouth and another bruise had lined her knees, for she was wearing her white dress again instead of her normal, tom-boyish attire.

His mind did not process her presence, but he processed that someone was talking to him. So, rather than answering, he just stared, dumbfounded and at loss for words while his own eyes glazed over with thought.

He numbly shoved himself off the bed, coming to a wobbly standing position and walked over to Noodle and words began to jumble in his mouth, forming disfigured statements and questions, but all that came out was, "I missed havin' yew 'round, Love…"

In replacement for his jumbled thoughts, his heart took control and he found himself circling his arms around the woman, holding her to him despite her sopping wet clothes and icy chill of her skin.

He left no space between them, laying his cheek upon her wet hair and breathing in steadily, the gears in his mind slowly beginning to turn and warm thoughts prickle under his skin.

_Noodle. Noodle. Noodle. I'm holding Noodle. I'm alive. We must be alive. We have to be. Sirens are still going off; I'm holding Noodle and she's shivering. Shit. Why did she come in my room? What's happening? Where did the whale go? Why is Noods wet? This headache…is so much more intense than it usually is and my stomach ain't feelin' well either._

"Wot…is happening to us," 2D finally managed to word his thoughts into a question. He refused to let go for several more moments, but she squeezed him tightly in significance that she wanted to be let go. He did so, after he gingerly kissed her forehead and turned around to gather a blanket off his bed and wrapped it around the woman.

Her face blushed a furious red and she blinked numerous times, but Stuart ignored her surprise and he sat on the edge of the mattress, glancing at the window behind him and shuddering before looking back at the woman who held the red fleece around her shoulders.

"The island has been discovered by the man who tried to kill me. Muds, Russ and I held him off for a few minutes but he and his men retreated. We don't know where he went, but Toochie… It's not safe here anymore," Noodle cried out softly. Her lip trembled but she huffed out an angry sigh before stalking to the walls of his room, examining the posters that decorated the trashy, painted walls of his holed-up room.

"I'm arranging a band meeting at the bonfire; this is no laughing matter and I want off of this pink bullshit that Murdoc found. This is his fault and I'll be damned if I'm put in Hell for another five years. I want off as late as TOMORROW and you are coming with me."

Her tone was clear and steady, but her voice was bitter. Noodle turned to face 2D and added, "Russel will join; Mud's too…if this band is to stay alive. He's our bassist and he's a part of this family whether he knows it or not. And I hate every part of his existence except for the fact that he treats the band as a whole, with some small part of respect. He doesn't treat us kindly as individuals, but for the sake of the band, he will sacrifice a lot… dedication."

"He's still an asshole…," Noodle finished and took off the blanket, airing it out on the bedside railing and walking around the room some more. The sirens had shut off finally, but the red haze from above the elevator still flashed periodically, the glow illuminating their faces from the darkness.

2D spoke up, considering Noodle's speech, "when will this meetin' be?"

"In approximately 5 minutes, Toochie," Noodle growled, stalking back to the elevator and punching the button beside Stuart's wooden dresser.

2D swiftly got up and accompanied the woman, standing behind her and flinching as she sniffed, wiping away an invisible tear that pushed down the side of her face. He silently wished that he could've brushed it away for her, letting his lips touch her forehead once again in hopes that she wouldn't be so fretful over the situation at hand.

But his own mind was racing with dangerous thoughts, images forming of the man with red eyes and the pointy nose. Images fading between the whale and the murderer, Murdoc and his frightening creation of the cyborg Noodle, of his love for the young woman and the chances of her death becoming more and more probable by the passing minute.

A harsh _ding _sounded, making him wince in pain as a sharp throb pulsed behind his eyes and in the back of his head; the aftermath of drinking.

2D's face turned a slight shade of green and his stomach churned, but he continued to breathe deeply, continuing into the elevator after Noodle and letting it take them both to sea-level.

Silence ensued and they both didn't seem to mind- the stillness that cloaked them was appreciated and welcoming to their ravaging minds.

* * *

(Noodle's POV)

_Five minutes later…_

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, LEAVE THE BLOODY ISLAND?!"

Murdoc hollered at the woman, his eyes bugging out of his head and his hands tugging at the roots of his greasy hair.

Noodle had managed to scramble the band onto the beach in order to discuss with them the issue at hand, but Murdoc didn't seem to fond of her idea of abandoning his precious hideout.

"I found this landmass, built on it and painted it! I made it my own as our home and a couple days after you return from where-ever the hell you've been, you tell me to abandon this place?!"

Russel groaned, several meters out in the water and he laid himself out on the surface, floating after huffing out an impatient growl. Noodle, too, had blown her fuse at the man and her hands tightened into fists.

"Well I certainly don't want to sit here and watch the band die under your watch because you're too selfish to give up this piece-of-shit landmass out in the middle of fucking NOWHERE YOU IDIOT!" Noodle raised her voice and grew a liking to profanity, at least just enough to get her point across to the hung-over man who was glaring angrily at her.

"IT WAS YOUR IDEA TO MAKE A DEAL WITH A DEMON AND IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT WE'RE OUT HERE! Murdoc-san, listen to me. If you want to keep Gorillaz intact, I suggest we get the hell off this death-trap and move back to the mainland so we can all have a chance at life again. Maybe you can seal off the deal by giving this psycho something else in return. You can give him money, let him do whatever except KILL US! I'm tired of running and it's all that I've been doing for the past few years now…"

Noodle paced the bumpy plastic, glancing at 2D's sneakers every now and then when she passed him and looking up to Murdoc who gazed off into the clouds above them, the rain having stopped and the storm passing by. The temperature was still cool and the breeze off the water made it chillier, trailing her exposed skin in tiny goosebumps.

Noodle added in hesitantly, "the cyborg can stay if that's what is needed; but I don't want it around me. It's useless unless you need it as weaponry against that demonic killer…"

She bit her tongue, angry at having to keep the robotic replacement of her, but she decided it was for the best if they were to have full-scale protection against any sudden inconveniences. If she was to get off this island, she needed protection, even if it consisted of the short-circuit clone.

_Kuso! Watashi wa jibun jishin ga watashi ga shinu aisuru hitobito o mite motte inai koto ga dekimasu...(_ _Dammit! I can't bring myself to watch the people I love, die...)_

She stuck her eyes on the green-skinned man who stood in one spot, rubbing his temples and grumbling out random curses at the sunlight that pushed through the clouds and into his eyes. He shook his head angrily and turned away from the beam, looking downcast and shadowing his face. After a few moments, he trudged over to the cyborg that stood at the position of attention over by jut of the peninsula. He muttered something to her, waving an arm in a spastic gesture while keeping the other on his temple. He stopped moving about and stood straight, taking off his cap and smoothing back his hair that just fell back into place, a shiny bowl-cut that flopped over his wide forehead. He pinched the bridge of his nose and pointed toward the dock with his sailor's hat, grumbling out a few more words and the cyborg bowed and saluted, taking off to the entrance of the island at a sprint.

The man dragged his feet back to the group, picking his eyes up to Stuart who stood beside Noodle, and then looked to the woman, a scowl tugging at his stern face. His attention flickered to the large man who floated in the water, his brown head picked up and turned toward him in interest. Russel said nothing and the beach was hushed from the waves that lapped at the shore.

Murdoc crossed his arms and set his hat back atop his head, shadowing his eyes and darkening his face, speaking in a hurried voice.

"We leave at sunset. Pack your belongings 'cause we sure as Hell won't be coming back."

* * *

(AUTHOR'S NOTE)

Ahhhhhhh They're getting off the island now!

This was an incredibly slow chapter. I'm sorry.

And I'm not updating as often as I promised. I'm getting to be a little more social in life and it is summer after all… there's a lot to do with so many people in such little time. So, excuse the inconvenience guys. Thanks for tagging along. You all are AMAZING.

I don't own Gorillaz.


	18. Chapter 18

(Noodle's POV)

Somewhere around two hours had passed, and all Noodle could think of doing was to help 2D and Murdoc pack any belongings they decided to take with them to wherever Murdoc planned on going.

So, rather than strolling the beach, chatting with an oversized Russel, she joined Stuart's journey of exploring his small room in hopes on finding important things to bring along on the trip back to the mainland after 2D brushed his teeth and took a quick shower in the bathroom besides Murdoc's headquarters.

In the five hours that they'd rummaged through the trinkets and gadgets that hid beneath his bed, in his dressers and cubby holes of shelves, they'd found an expanse of zombie movies, records of their past studio productions, a bobble head of an undead Michael Jackson, and a few large tomes about psychology and the universe.

This stumped Noodle and made her give a double take on the blue-haired man who studied the covers of these books.

For the majority of her time in Gorillaz, she'd never seen him even remotely look at a book, much less a historical and educational book that probably had over a thousand pages of descriptive text. She did not give the man much credit on his studious capability, but she was proven wrong as he flipped open a page and nodded, passing the book to the gaping woman, whispering, "this one's pretty good. 'Cept I dun' really consider the religious part of ih'. Psychology get's yew thinkin'…"

2D rubbed the back of his neck, popping it and began to look about the cardboard boxes that were barely filled. He sighed and uncrossed his legs, pulling them up to his chest and looking over to the other side of him, studying the small pile of novels that were probably of the same topic as the book he'd given her.

Noodle skimmed the cover of the book, brushing off the dust and reading, "Man's Journey To Find Himself" by Johnathan Shiester. On the cover was the world in a grayscale, and on the top of the planet stood a single stick-figure man but drawn in a deep red.

She set the book into the box before her and set the others into the box, barely filling a quarter of it along with the assortment of movies and documentaries that 2D had already placed in.

2D shifted beside her and he got up, striding over to the wooden dresser and pulling out two pairs of jeans, a couple pairs of underwear and a bundle of miss-matched socks. He took these to his bed, pulled out the suitcase that hid beneath and he began to fold the clothes neatly, setting it out on his comforter before he left to go to his hamper. He dug through the clothes, picking out random shirts that Noodle figured were his favorites and sat them to the side, leaving them to deal with later after he'd finished packing the clean clothes.

After a few moments of 2D staring blankly at his bed, he spoke lightly, "we found your guitar… in the crash site. Yew weren't there…but your guitar wos… it's in the boiler room- in the storage closet… We didn't know wot to do wif ih… And I couldn't function properly when I saw ih… so we had to hide ih' somewhere…"

Noodle just sat there and watched 2D pack his clothes, nibbling at the inside of her lip as she heard him speak. However, he did not continue, for he began to look about his room, wiping something from his face and rubbing his temple.

He bent down beside his bed and picked up his orange prescription bottle, fumbling with the lid.

Immediately, Noodle got up and went over to him, standing by his side and eyeing his hand as he poured out four tablets into his palm. She caught his arm, gripping it firmly. "Why do you take so many pills, Stuart? When we were back in London, you only took two; now you've doubled your dosage. Do you know what this could do to you?"

The man simply twitched his fingers and looked down at her with sad eyes, "I'll be fine, Noods. I've been takin' these fo' years an' ih hasn't hurt me yet. My headaches have gotten worse over the time thah I've been here, and ih's the only fing thah really helps, Love…" He shrugged and looked to the hand that laid on his arm.

Noodle refused to let go.

"You may not have noticed, but I can tell it's hurting you. Every time you take these," she nodded to his fist that captivated the medication, "you fall asleep. And from what I've seen, you've woken up from either nightmares or restless dreams. I won't let you keep doing this, Toochie…"

"Noods, Ih's fine-."

"NO, it's not. We're leaving the island, I'm taking you to see a doctor as soon as we get back to London, and I'm not going to let you do this to yourself. Please, just do this for me and we can finish packing. I'll get you some tea, even, when I go to get my guitar. Anything but this…"

She reached for the bottle and took it, adding two of the pills that lay limp in between his bony fingers before screwing the cap back on and pushing it back into his possession, a small frown forming on her face.

She felt angry that 2D had resorted to drug abuse to fend off his migraines. Sure, they might've increased from her disappearance and his trip to Plastic Beach, but that didn't mean he had to deteriorate under the influence of his own prescribed medication. Noodle felt betrayed by Murdoc for the replacement of her and Russel and his harsh treatment on Stuart, and it seemed that 2D didn't even mind. He was so used to it, it was like looking at an abused puppy who'd retreated with his tail hidden between his legs and his head held low, following his master's orders without question. It was disgusting, but she had to find some form of respect for the Satanist. His determination is what kept the band alive; if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have had the chances of ever coming across the band again.

Everything fell the way it did for a reason and she had to respect that, whether it damaged everyone else or not; she was there now, along with Russel Hobbs, their famous drummer and all-time friend that she's missed having around to talk to.

But coming back to find 2D in ruins like this wasn't comforting and it only infuriated her more.

Noodle scrunched her nose and furrowed her eyebrows, attempting to turn and go to the elevator, but she was stopped when 2D's had caught her arm in mid-step.

* * *

(2D's POV)

Stuart was taken aback when he caught her words, realizing how thoughtful and emotionally moving they rung true, despite how short and precise her statements were. She cared enough to physically stop him from taking his usual amount and pleaded for him to minimize it.

However, his hangover was beginning to get the best of him; the nausea was gone but his eye sockets felt like they'd cave in even farther into his head and puncture his brain, the pain hurt so much.

But when she laid her hand on him, the focus on the hurt had faded some and he was left to the emptiness in his mind, relishing the small break and enjoying the contentment of it all.

With his eyes downcast and the tear that had dried to his cheek that Noodle had thankfully not seen, he let her take the bottle and the two patterned capsules, listening to that familiar _clink _and the pop of the seal and before he knew it, he held the pills and she was turning to leave.

He set these things down immediately, except for the loose drugs that rolled about his fingers, and reached out to her, grasping her thin arm. He didn't want her to go, especially since her touch had somehow made the pain stop, if only for a few seconds.

He didn't want her to go because for all he knew, the monster could come back and attack them that very same say. Could kill them all in one fellow swoop, his henchmen clouding the sky in a chaos of hundreds of helicopters and bombers. He didn't want her to go because with the unknown time limit, he may not be able to tell her all that he'd felt, thought and dreamt. He wouldn't be able to mention how he believed her to be alive those first few months, refused to believe of her passing, and wanted so much to search for her in hopes of finding her again, to believe that the time with the band wasn't one long, wondrous dream with terror folding in at the end of the nightmare.

He didn't want her taken away from him again, his precious friend and forbidden lover.

2D rubbed his thumb along her bicep and up to her collarbone, to her neck until he cupped her face. He positioned himself so he was facing her completely, leaving very little room between the two, but that's all he needed to press his forehead against hers, taking in every bit of her presence and letting the hurt recede.

His vision began to blur, so instead, he closed his eyes and mentally sighed with relief, as she did not react badly to his sudden, intimate gesture. She too, seemed laid-back and enjoyed the moment with him, the sound of their breathing in unison and 2D began to feel the prickling sensation that tugged at his ribcage. It was like a pool of warmth rushed into his chest and all he could do was hold back the tears that crept to the corners of his eyes.

"Thank you, Love…"

That was all he could manage to say, when a pair of soft lips reached up and brushed against his. His slow thought process kick-started and he gently kissed her back.

The moment was all too short for him to cherish, for she pulled back immediately with a bright smile on her face. She ran over to the elevator, pressed the button and against his luck, the doors swung open, the lift already on their floor, and she was gone like that.

2D felt the pills roll numbly out of his hand and plop to the floor, but he was too in shock.

He brought his fingers to his lips and touched them, blinking furiously at the tears that cascaded down his cheeks and off his chin.

After a moment of thinking, he pursed his lips, lifted an eyebrow and edged over to his bed to sit down upon the covers.

Befuddled, he gaped at the closed elevator doors and tried to fathom what just happened.

_She just kissed me… And… I kissed her back. So….why'd she leave? Women!_

2D just propped his arms on his knees, bending over and supporting his forehead as he stared at the foot of the elevator, listening to the water slosh outside of his window. His head was in more of a clutter now than ever, but the headache he'd felt five minutes ago when he was packing had gone for the time being and he was glad for that.

2D pressed the balls of his palms into his eye sockets, rubbing them and wiping away the tears that fell, groaning out a loud, confused sigh.

_But what was the deal with Noodle? Why, what…? I… I need… She can't just… Ugh…_

He sat like that for a few minutes until the scraping sound of metal alarmed him and let him know that someone was coming down the elevator again.

The doors opened to Noodle carrying her dusty guitar and a cup of tea. She set both of these down, the tea on his dresser and the guitar against it, strumming it with her fingernail on accident.

Stuart got up and strode over to her, ignoring his conscience that screamed labels at him, cupped her face and pulled her in for another kiss, the impulse of his feelings hungry for more. But he just stood there, holding her face and welcoming her presence gingerly.

She did not back away, and she returned the kiss lightly, both of them holding each other in an embrace until 2D let go and whispered out, "Yew have no idea how much I've been wonting to do thah…"

Noodle simply smiled, "I've missed you too, Toochie."

2D took her in once more, wanting to relive the moment of her lips on his before he let go and they got to work again, packing boxes and drinking tea in each other's company.

The amount of time it took to pack the rest of Stuarts belongings didn't take more than thirty more minutes, since he didn't have all that many things he cherished other than the birthday gifts he received from the band and the gifts he bought on tour with them. In all of that, only two and a half boxes were filled, not including his bedding and toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, etc. In the end, they filled four crates of 2D's personal belongings and none of it was all that heavy.

They lugged the boxes into the elevator and once they were taken to sea-level, they were greeted with the cyborg clone.

2D frowned at the robot but brushed his bothered feelings away when she addressed them in a normal voice, "Master instructed that I relieve you of your belongings to take them to the submarine. Is this permission granted?"

Noodle replied with a "hai" and 2D just nodded, uncomfortable with the kindly introduction. It was rare that the robot did something for him rather than Murdoc, but again, he waved it off and didn't make a scene out of it. He figured it was better to let it be than refuse the help given to him.

The robot opened up her back and a retractable mechanic arm appeared. 2D placed his two boxes onto the freakishly long appendage and let Noodle place hers onto the cyborg's natural arms.

The robot nodded at the two before heading off towards the door that stood ajar, out into the open light that poured down onto the steps.

Noodle, who stood beside him, fumbled with the mask that sat atop her head and pulled it down over her face, following after the clone. 2D took his suitcase and rolled it out of the lift, following the woman down to the beach and towards the docks they'd visited the previous night.

The submarine was surfaced and the escape hatch was opened with Murdoc crawling out and the robot going in. the sun was slowly inching down the sky, but it was only late afternoon and the seagulls were still squawking in their flights.

Russel stood besides the submarine, staring with boredom at the underwater ship. It was high-tech and modern technology, with glass to flaunt off the ocean life, but for Russel it was useless. He was staying in the water for another day whether he wanted to or not; he was too massive to even think of fitting in a submarine.

With a sympathetic half-smile, 2D passed by him and passed his last bit of luggage to the cyborg who exited the sub and took it, piling his things in the back of the ship.

Noodle had gone over to Russel and began to talk to him, but 2D didn't get to listen in on the conversation, for he ran back into the island, muttering under his breath to himself and convincing himself that all of his prayers were answered.

He was leaving. Getting off of the floating junk-filled island and the band was reunited once again. He was going to be free. He could express himself freely, socialize with the people he barely acknowledged. Talk to Noodle about everything. Hold her and greet her with the respect a princess should. She was alive; Russel was home and they were starting life, new.

This was their fresh start. This was it.

If only he could cease the voices that raged in his head and push away that heart-sinking pang that maybe this wasn't going to be the happily ever after he wanted it to be.

2D stood in the vacancy of his room, staring blankly at the junk that littered his floor and taped to his walls, his conscience jabbing him with a single name, accompanied by the same insane laughter that rung through his head at the Feel Good Inc. tower.

He spotted his mask that strung over one of the poles on the headboard of his bed. He grabbed this and stepped into the elevator shaft, flicking the glowing button on the side and saying farewell to his room.

But before the hinges of the doors snapped shut, Stuart's attention was caught by his window, a small face bobbing in the circular frame. Where it's eyes were placed, were two glowing red orbs in the sockets of a small, black gas mask. The boogieman stared back, his gaze never wavering.

2D flipped his clown disguise over his horrified face and he shuddered as the doors closed shut and the loud cranking of the elevator bringing him to the air for the last time.

* * *

(Author's Note)

This was the last chapter. I made it pretty long and I hope I left you guys on an edge.

I really want to write a sequel to this one where they're settled in London, but I have no idea how I'm going to do that and how long it'll take me to write the first chapter for it, but I will update you guys. Keep tabs on this story because I'll add another note in the next chapter about the title and when it comes out.

OR if you don't want to do that, just follow me as an author and you can take it from there.

I hope it suited you guys for the fluff that you've been waiting for, but I think in the next story I'll make it more pronounced since their feelings are out in the open.

Review. I want to know how well I did in this story; did it get boring at the end? Was it too slow or just the right pace and detail? Do you want the sequel? What would you like to see in the next story? What minor conflicts might you want me to add? Do you hate me for the cliffhanger?

Thank you for your support. All of you. It means the world that you tagged along and enjoyed reading my work and it really helps me as a young writer to pursue this dream- to become an author.

You are what success creates. Thank you, and good luck on your own pieces. I look forward to reviewing your own stories.

_**PS: I'd really like a beta reader to look over some work that I do in the future. Message me for details if you're interested.**_

_**PSS: 2D and Noodle have no idea on the relationship between them. They just have an idea on how they feel about each other. I hope that cleared it up for you.**_

_**PPSS: The name that goes on in 2D's head is the name that was mentioned in the previous chapters. The fabulous "P" word.**_

_**PPSSS: The novel that Noodle looked over is not real. I made it up along with the author name. AND the colors on the cover connect with the second chapter when 2D had his black and white dream and noodle had red eyes. Remember…?**_

Ok, enough of that.

I don't own Gorillaz.


	19. Chapter 19

I've got a wonderful present for you guys that want to continue on with this storyline! I've got my sequel up and running.

Title is:

**Strange Comfort**

I've got the prologue up and ready for you folks to read, so enjoy and let me know how you like the pace; is it better than the descriptive but slow pace of this story, or is it just right? Or is it too vague?

Enjoy.

-InvaderMads


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